Don't Mess With Taxes

The official holidays sometimes affect taxes, since the Internal Revenue Service, like all federal offices, closes on these days. 

Photo by Thomas Wilson

Celebrations are planned, and some already underway, across the United States to commemorate Juneteenth.

This newest U.S. federal holiday marks June 19, 1865, the day when the last enslaved people in the United States finally got official notification in Galveston, Texas, that they were free, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Former President Joe Biden joined other dignitaries in Galveston to observe the day. Biden’s participation is not surprising, since he signed the holiday into federal law on June 17, 2021.

Juneteenth is one of a handful of federal holidays that is celebrated on its actual date instead of being moved to a nearby Monday. The other notable one is Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

Both Juneteenth and Veterans Day are afforded this specific recognition because of the significance of their dates, the freeing of the last enslaved people in the United States and the end of World War I, respectively.

U.S. federal holidays: Today also is the midpoint of the dozen federal holidays recognized in the United States.

We’ve already celebrated New Year's Day on Jan. 1; the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 20; Washington’s birthday on Feb. 17 (yes, it still sometimes is erroneously called Presidents, with or without an apostrophe, Day); District of Columbia Emancipation Day on April 16; and Memorial Day on May 26, Memorial Day.

Still ahead are Independence Day on July 4; Labor Day on Sept. 1; Columbus Day (yes, acknowledgement of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus is still the day’s official federal title) on Oct. 13; Veterans Day on Nov. 11; Thanksgiving on Nov. 27; and Christmas on Dec. 25.

Holidays’ effect on federal taxes: Since federal offices are closed on these holidays, they sometimes affect Internal Revenue Service duties and our taxes.

That most often happens when Washington, D.C.’s Emancipation Day coincides with the April 15 Tax Day, which even though it’s generally capitalized is definitely not a federal holiday. It could be cause for celebration, though, if you’re getting a refund.

As for today’s Juneteenth holiday, it could have a tangential effect on some tax matters.

IRS offices, like all federal (and some state) facilities, are closed. That means there’s no people answering taxpayers’ inquiries that go beyond the responses offered by the agency’s automated phone system.

In addition, there’s no processing of paper tax filings, including refunds that taxpayers have requested be issued as paper U.S. Treasury checks.

And, of course, since there’s no U.S. Postal Service delivery today, you won’t get the check if it’s already in the postal system.

As for electronically delivered refunds, those direct deposits might still go through, depending on your financial institution’s bank automated operations, since most banks also are closed today, too.

It’s more likely, however, that the refund will show up in your account tomorrow.

But you still can check the status of your IRS tax refund by using IRS.gov’s Where’s My Refund? The online tracking tool is available 24/7, even during federal holidays.

You also might find these items of interest:

• Goal for next Juneteenth: ending racial bias in tax system
• A look at racial bias in the U.S. tax code on MLK Day 2023
• Court halts organization’s grants to Black women entrepreneurs
• Not yet independence, freedom or justice for all in America on this July 4th
• Juneteenth 2022: A time to celebrate and move forward, including within the tax code

Updated June 19, 2025, to include coverage of Biden's Galveston visit.

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