Key 2026 Tax Deadlines
- January 15, 2026 — Q4 2025 estimated tax payment due
- April 15, 2026 — federal tax return deadline for the 2025 tax year, and Q1 2026 estimated payment due
- June 15, 2026 — Q2 2026 estimated tax payment due
- September 15, 2026 — Q3 2026 estimated tax payment due
- October 15, 2026 — extended filing deadline for those who filed Form 4868
- January 15, 2027 — Q4 2026 estimated tax payment due
How to File for an Extension
Filing Form 4868 before April 15 grants an automatic 6-month extension to file — but you still need to estimate and pay what you owe by the original deadline to avoid penalties and interest. The extension only postpones the paperwork, not the payment.
What Happens If You File Late
Failing to file on time triggers a failure-to-file penalty, typically 5% of unpaid tax per month (up to 25%), which is meaningfully steeper than the failure-to-pay penalty (usually 0.5% per month). If you can't pay in full, filing on time and paying what you can is almost always better than not filing at all.
State Deadlines Can Differ
Most states align their filing deadline with the federal date, but not all do — always confirm your specific state's deadline directly, especially if you moved during the year or file in more than one state.
This page is for educational purposes and isn't personalized tax advice. Tax rules, brackets, and deadlines are set annually by the IRS and subject to change — confirm current figures at irs.gov or with a tax professional before filing.