April 15 is for more than just filing last year's taxes. There are six other individual tax-related tasks that are due today.
Ready. Set. Go.
1. Open and/or contribute to an IRA
The April filing deadline is the last chance you get to make a contribution to your traditional or Roth IRA and have it count as if you put the money in by last Dec. 31.
For some filers, that prior year traditional IRA contribution could count as an above-the-line deduction on Form 1040 or 1040A. And that could help lower their tax bills.
2. Pay your estimated taxes
If you must make estimated tax payments for 2015, your first payment for this year is due today.
3. Contribute to your HSA
Do you have a health savings account (HSA)? This tax-advantaged account is an option for those with a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). HSA contributions are not taxed and the money is used to cover the bigger medical expenses that HDHP enrollees typically face. April 15 is the last day to make a 2014 contribution to your HSA.
4. File a 2011 tax year return
More than a million people didn't file a 2011 tax return in 2012. They also left around $1 billion in unclaimed refunds in the U.S. Treasury. If one of those refunds is yours, today is the last day to file a 2011 return and get your money. Tomorrow, anything left belongs to Uncle Sam.
5. Amend your 2011 tax filing
You did file a return for 2011, but you discovered that you made a mistake that cost you tax money. You have three years from the returns filing date to make changes and get your refund. That three-year window for the 2011 tax year closes today.
6. File your state tax returns
Most states that collect income taxes from their residents require those returns be filed by April 15, too.
The good thing here is that most also use your federal return as the basis for starting your state tax filing, so if you've done the paperwork for Uncle Sam, you're halfway there.
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