Tax deadlines you can't afford to miss
The federal filing date is April 15. Around it sit a handful of other dates — estimated payments, extensions, business returns — that trip people up far more often than Tax Day itself.
An extension buys you time to file, not time to pay. If you owe, the IRS still expects payment by the April date or interest starts running. File the extension anyway — the failure-to-file penalty is roughly ten times steeper than failure-to-pay.
The full federal calendar
Q4 estimated payment due
The last estimated installment for the prior tax year. Skip it and you may owe an underpayment penalty even if you're due a refund.
W-2s and most 1099s arrive
Employers and payers must send these by month-end. If yours hasn't shown up by early February, chase it.
S-Corp and partnership returns due
Forms 1120-S and 1065. Note this is a full month before the personal deadline.
Tax Day — individual returns due
File Form 1040 or request an extension. C-corp returns and your Q1 estimated payment fall on the same day. IRA and HSA contributions for the prior year also close here.
Q2 estimated payment due
An oddly short quarter — only two months after Q1. Easy to forget.
Q3 estimated payment due
Also the extended deadline for S-Corps and partnerships that filed for more time in March.
Extended individual returns due
The hard stop for anyone who filed an extension in April. There's no extension past this one.
Dates shift to the next business day when they land on a weekend or holiday (that's why Q2 often reads June 16). Past dates dim automatically and the list rolls forward each year.
How state deadlines compare
Most states pin their personal income tax deadline to the federal date, so April covers you in the majority of cases. The exceptions, and the nine states with no broad income tax at all, are where people slip.
| State group | Personal filing deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Most states | Same as federal (April) | If you e-file the federal return, the state usually piggybacks. |
| Virginia | May 1 | One of the later individual deadlines. |
| Louisiana | May 15 | Later still, and a separate extension form. |
| Delaware | April 30 | A couple of weeks past the federal date. |
| No state income tax | — | FL, TX, WA, NV, SD, WY, AK, plus TN & NH on wages. |
Illustrative summary, not a substitute for your state's revenue department. Deadlines move; check the official state site before filing.
Want a reminder a month out?
We'll email you before each of these dates so a missed deadline never costs you a penalty.