April 1: No
fooling, U.S. taxpayers.
Tax Day is just 14 days away.
April obviously is Uncle Sam's favorite month because it's when he gets millions more tax returns, most of which are filed by folks who owe.
But the first day of this big tax month also is the deadline for older retirement plan owners. Some face an April 1 deadline to make their first
required minimum distribution, or RMD.
Now back to the rest of us, who have a couple more April weeks to get to work on our last-minute filings. If you're part of the
procrastinating contingent, then check out these April tax moves. They might be able to help you cut any tax you owe or add to your refund.
April 5: Looking for tax help? This late in the filing season it might be tough to find a
tax pro willing to take on new clients. But you still might be able to get some free face-to-face tax help if you qualify for programs such as
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE).
April 7: If you're doing your taxes on your own, make sure you understand out the new tax law
affects some previously common tax breaks.
April 10: Yes, Tax Day is just around the corner, but you still have to take care of other tax tasks. If your job includes
tips and you received $20 in
gratuities in March, use
Form 4070 to
report them today to your employer.
April 15: OK. This is it! Tax Day 2019.
For most of us, that is. Folks in Maine and Massachusetts get until
April 17 due to the celebration of Patriots Day in those states.
You've got until midnight tonight (your local time) to electronically file your 1040. If you qualify, the IRS-tax software industry partnership known as
Free File is waiting for you. This IRS/tax software industry partnership is in its 17th year of providing eligible taxpayers the opportunity to prepare and e-file their taxes, as the name says, at no cost.
This year, qualifying taxpayers — that's those with income of $66,000 or less — can use one of the expected dozen or so special commercial tax software programs at IRS.gov's
Free File online page. Even if you make too much to use the online software, you can file using Free File's fillable forms.
If you discover that, even with the Free File help, you just can't complete all the necessary tax paperwork, make sure you file
Form 4868 to get an automatic six-month extension. Just be sure to pay any tax you owe. The extension only gets your more time file your forms, not extra time to pay your tax bill.
Remember, too, that April 15 also is the deadline for several other tax tasks. They include:
Making your first 2019 tax year
estimated tax payment. There's no extension allowed here.
Contributing to contributing to an IRA. Putting money into a
traditional IRA by today also could give you an
immediate tax deduction on your current return.
You also can contribute to a Roth IRA and have it count toward the prior tax year. While a Roth isn't deductible, when you max out your
annual contribution amounts you'll have a bigger retirement nest egg. Plus, your contributions to either retirement account could help you qualify for the Saver's Credit.
And if you didn't file a 2015 tax return back in 2016 and were due a refund three years ago, file that old 1040 by today or
kiss your unclaimed refund money goodbye.
April 19: Whew! Now that filing is done (except for us procrastinators on extension) and you've had a few days to get settled, it's time to take care of your tax records. You need to hang onto some
filing paperwork just in case the IRS has follow-up questions.
April 24: If you got or are expecting a big refund or ended up owing Uncle Sam a lot when you filed your return, now's the time for a
paycheck checkup and possibly adjust your payroll withholding, especially since we're now dealing with new tax laws.
April 30: And about those tax law changes…. Now that you've seen what they meant to your 2018 tax return, start now to make the most of them — and pay less taxes — in 2019. In addition to continuing to read
Don't Mess With Taxes, you also might want to consider hiring a
tax professional who will work with you year round.
Small Business Tax Calendar: Speaking of business taxes, you'll find important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know in the IRS'
tax calendar for small businesses and the self-employed. You also can get more tax calendar information in
IRS Pub. 509.