- Decades ago, people were rushing to meet a March 15 filing deadline for income taxes. Now the deadline is April 15.
- The IRS processed more than 100.3 million returns, up 0.2%, so far through April 4.
- The IRS has issued more than 67.7 million federal income tax refunds, up 1.4% from a year ago.
Tax Day celebrated a key milestone of sorts. The Internal Revenue Service marked the 70th anniversary of the April 15 filing deadline.
Most people probably don’t realize this, but decades ago people were rushing to meet a March 15 filing deadline for income taxes. The IRS noted Tuesday that the Tax Day deadline was moved to April 15 from March 15 back in 1955.
The IRS said the objective for moving the deadline one month was to give taxpayers and the IRS more time to prepare and process increasingly complex returns, even in the mid-1950s.
We’ve moved further away from paper returns to e-filing and online tools to prepare and file our federal income tax returns.
In 2024, the IRS said, more than 144 million individual tax returns were filed with more than 96% submitted electronically.
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Most taxpayers must file by midnight April 15. Those who need more time can still request an extension until Oct. 15. Remember, though, any taxes that you owe must be paid by April 15 to avoid penalties and interest.
One of the easiest ways to request a six-month extension is to tap into free software offered through a “Free File” partner at IRS.gov. You can click on the “File an Extension” link. This strategy can work no matter what your income.
The IRS has already received more than 101.4 million tax returns, based on the latest data through April 4. That’s down 0.4% from a similar time frame a year ago.
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The IRS processed more than 100.3 million returns, up 0.2%, so far through April 4.
The average federal income tax refund was $3,116 for refunds issued through April 4. That’s up 3.5% from a year ago.
The IRS has issued more than 67.7 million federal income tax refunds, up 1.4% from a year ago. The total amount refunded hit $211 billion, up 5% from a year ago.
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: [email protected]. Follow her on X @tompor.
