Oct. 1: Boo! Welcome to the scariest month of the year.
Screenshot from GIPHY In addition to Halloween goblins, ghouls and hundreds of kids descending on your neighborhood at the end of this month, one of the scariest October items is that countdown clock a little higher up in this column. It's a stark reminder for millions of ultimate
procrastinators — No, I'm not one this year. Amazing, I know! — that their deadline to file extended 2018 tax returns is nearly over. Don't worry. I'll remind you again as Oct. 15 nears.
But why push the deadline?
Gather all the
documents you need to file your Form 1040, including 1099s and receipts associated with your
self-employment income, be it full-time or side hustle earnings. This
tax preparation checklist can help.
Oct. 4: OK. You're ready to finally file that Form 1040 before the 15th. Great! Now make sure you don't overspend to do so. Check out
Free File.
This IRS-tax software industry partnership program that provides no-cost return prep and
e-filing option is open for business through the October extension deadline for taxpayers whose income is $66,000 or less.
Oct. 10: If your job compensation includes
tips and you received $20 or more in gratuities in September, use
Form 4070 to report them today to your employer.
Oct. 14: So another week slipped by without you filing your taxes. No judging here. I've been there. The good news this year is that today is the federal Columbus Day holiday or, in many states and cities, now designated
Indigenous People's Day. If you don't have to head into the office, it's a great chance to work on your taxes. The IRS has some
final filing tips.
Oct. 15: It's here! The absolutely, positively final filing deadline for your 2018 return. Get your Form 1040 — remember, there's now
just one tax return under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) changes — en route to the IRS today or you'll face
penalty and interest charges.
E-filers, whether using the previously mentioned Free File or a paid-for tax software package, technically have until midnight their time to hit "enter" on their computer keyboard. But I suggest you don't push that deadline. A late technical problem could turn into a costly late-filing issue.
If instead you're sending in an old-fashioned
paper return, check with your post office to make sure the envelope is postmarked today, the paper filing proof of timely tax filing.
Oct. 21: Now that your 2018 return is finally done, it's time to work on reducing your 2019 tax bill. By now, you're probably familiar with how the TCJA changed your tax filing and planning. But it never hurts to review your prior year's tax return, whether you just filed it last week or earlier in the year. It's a good foundation to look at what tax breaks you qualified for might be able to use again on this year's taxes.
Note, too, that inflation has upped many tax-related actions. The income tax earnings
brackets have been expanded a bit. So have the
standard deduction amounts.
And definitely look at how much you can put this year into tax-favored
retirement savings and
medical accounts. Not only can they help lower current tax bills, they could pay off in the future.
Finally, peruse the Taxpayer Advocate Service's
Taxpayer Roadmap.
This publication, designed along the lines of a subway map, shows the
stages of a taxpayer's journey through our elaborate tax system.
Oct. 25: Those retirement and medical accounts also are part of many workplace benefit plans. Since October is the start of the annual benefits enrollment open season at lots of companies across the country, it's a good time to carefully review those employer-provided perks, such as 401(k) plans and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for both
health and child care purposes, to make sure you make the most of your options.
Oct. 28: With more than two months left in 2019, now's is the perfect time to set up your tax deduction
bunching strategy. Here you gather potential write-offs together into one tax year to ensure you have enough qualified expenses to meet some of the popular deduction thresholds. This typically covers the itemized deductions for medical, home-related and charitable deductions.
Oct. 31: What's scarier than the ghouls and goblins wandering your neighborhood tonight? Another month of the
hurricane season.
We've been lucky so far, with only Hurricane Dorian along the eastern seaboard and
Tropical Storm Imelda in Texas causing major damages. But with a month officially left, we
can't let down our storm guards.
The countdown clock below can help you track the days until the formal Nov. 30 end of the annual hurricane season.
You also can find tips on getting ready, physically and financially, for hurricanes, as well as tax help for recovery efforts and tax deductions for donations to those who are hit by natural disasters at the ol' blog's
Storm Warnings pages.
Small Business Tax Calendar: Important
filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know. You can get more tax calendar information at the IRS'
online calendar page and view the full year's important business and individual tax dates in
IRS Pub. 509.
Ray, yes, Missouri operates by the postmark as evidence of timely filing standard; that is, if the postmark is April 15 the return is deemed as being filed on time on that day even if it arrived later. So mailing it April 14 should get the return postmarked 4/14 or at the latest 4/15. You also could pay for tracking, which I believe is a nominal charge, which will show when you delivered it to the post office as proof of timely filing.
Posted by: Kay | Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 10:57 AM
My first payment for 2014 Missouri estimated taxes will be mailed and postmarked April 14 2014. Does this meet the required due date even though the check may not be delivered by April 15th?
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Posted by: Lorrine | Wednesday, November 06, 2013 at 05:21 PM
yes, but you'll likely owe penalty and interest charges for late filing. But you need to file ASAP to stop those charges from continuing to add up.
Posted by: Kay | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 06:19 PM
can i file my 2010 taxes in 2012
Posted by: shawn jenkins | Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 12:58 PM
Ellett, this is a listing of the states' normal tax filing deadlines. As you note, 2011 is not normal, with states that usually require returns by April 15 following the IRS postponement until April 18, 2011, because of Emancipation Day. Details on 2011 special tax day considerations can be found in these two posts: http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/dont_mess_with_taxes/2011/03/by-the-numbers-12-states-that-dont-follow-the-415-deadline.html and http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/dont_mess_with_taxes/2011/03/patriots-day-extends-maine-massachusetts-tax-deadline.html
Posted by: Kay | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 04:20 PM
CA date is incorrect. CA FTB web site says that CA is following the federal date of April 18.
Posted by: Ellett | Friday, April 15, 2011 at 10:30 AM
We are buying a new energy efficient furnace and airconditioner this week. I think I heard that there is a tax free day this week on energy savings appliances. If I am correct, how do I apply?
Posted by: Julie Garnier | Monday, April 19, 2010 at 08:57 AM