June, the month when summer officially arrives, is the time we start, or at least plan, well-deserved vacations. But taxes don’t take breaks. So, you also should make time for some tax tasks. Some will keep you out of tax trouble. Others could mean tax savings.
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June is known and loved by many for being the month in which summer officially arrives in the Northern Hemisphere. The solstice is at 3:25 a.m. on June 21 if you’re planning a party.
But June also is full of other notable events. If you haven’t yet marked your calendar, they include —
- Flag Day on June 14, celebrating the United States’ adoption of the Stars and Stripes;
- Juneteenth on June 19, the federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans; and
- Father’s Day on June 21, when dads get ties and all sorts of other welcome gifts.
But before you get too involved in these and the many other less-formal festivities (pet lovers’ alert: June 4 is Hug Your Cat Day feline fans, while June 26 is Take Your Dog to Work Day), take some time for taxes.
Yes. Taxes. Really.
Although summer is supposed to be peak leisure season, taxes don’t take vacations. So, taking care of tax matters in June could help keep you on the Internal Revenue Service’s good side and make next year’s filing easier and potentially less costly.
Here are six June tax moves to consider.
1. Pay your estimated taxes. Millions of us must make these extra tax payments each year. The money goes to the U.S. Treasury for income we get that’s not subject to withholding. This includes earnings from gig work or other self-employment jobs, prize or gambling winnings, or investment income. Some Social Security recipients who must pay tax on these government retirement benefits also pay that amount via estimated taxes.
Taxpayers usually make estimated tax payments in four equal installments. The next one, the second for the 2026 tax year, is due June 15. It covers tax on income earned in April and May. Yep, the IRS in this case follows a different calendar. We estimated tax payers must, too, or face penalties for late- and/or underpayment.
The easiest way to take care of your estimated tax obligation and not waste too much precious summer time is to pay electronically.
2. File your 2024 tax return. Yes, I know it’s June, not April. And no, I’m not talking about taxpayers who got an extension to file their 1040 forms by Oct. 15.
But U.S. taxpayers who live and work abroad, including service personnel posted outside the United States or Puerto Rico, get an automatic extension to file. Their deadline, is June 15.
These foreign-based filers, however, should have paid any tax due by the April Tax Day. If they didn’t, they’ll owe interest on the unpaid amount that’ been accruing for the last two months.
If you’re facing the June 15 deadline, but still aren’t ready to file your return, don’t panic. You can get until the regular Oct. 15 extension deadline by sending the IRS Form 4868. And be sure to pay your due tax if you haven’t already.
3. Get hurricane ready. The 2026 Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico hurricane season officially began on June 1. Today, the season’s first tropical cyclone was named. The good news is that Amanda is in the Pacific and not a threat to the United States. But the storm is a good reminder to get ready for other tropical systems now.
Three of the ol’ blog’s early June tax tips offers suggestions on how to do that. Check them out and take potential hurricane hits seriously. Even though forecasters say a strong El Niño should hamper storm formations this year, all it takes is one.
4. Take care of newlywed tax tasks. If you are a June (or earlier in the year) bride or groom, congratulations and best wishes! My gift to you is this 6-point tax checklist for newlyweds. It covers the life changes that also could affect your tax circumstances. They include name and address changes, withholding by working couples, filing status (spoiler: filing jointly usually gets you better tax results), and more.
5. Do some summer cleaning. We’re all familiar with spring cleaning, or at least the term. But some of us (guilty!) let that seasonal housekeeping slide earlier this year. Take care of it now. Donate good, but no longer useful to household items or clothing to your favorite IRS-authorized nonprofit. If you itemize, you can claim the donations as a charitable tax deduction. Just be sure to follow the IRS’ charitable giving rules. That includes claiming the correct fair market value of your donated items.
6. Adjust your withholding. If you’re a regular reader of the ol’ blog, thanks. And I apologize for yet again bringing up this item. But if you are having too much federal income tax withheld from your paycheck, you need to fix that.
The tax goal is to have your withholding amount be as close as possible to what you owe when you file your annual tax return. If you’re withholding too much, you have to wait for Uncle Sam to refund the amount. If you’re not having enough withheld, you’ll owe taxes, and sometimes the amount is surprisingly (and distressingly) large.
Adjusting your withholding will let you have control of your money throughout the year while still meeting tax code requirements. The IRS’ online Tax Withholding Estimator, available in English and Spanish, can help you get your withholding amount just right.
Making the appropriate withholding adjustments in June means the changes will be spread over seven or so months, depending on your pay schedule, so the amount, especially if your withholding increases, shouldn’t be such a shock and mess up your budget’s your cash flow.
OK, that’s it. Thanks for taking a tax break. If any of these six June tax moves apply to your situation, check them out. Then get back to your lazy, hazy, crazy days of early summer.
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