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5 more tax tasks to take care of by April 15

April 12, 2013


Tax Day April 15I know it's late on Friday. But it's also the Friday before April 15.

Not to ruin your weekend, but you might need to do some extra tax work this Saturday and Sunday.

The reason? April 15 isn't just for filing your annual federal tax return or, if you're a bit jammed up, sending the Internal Revenue Service File Form 4868
to get an automatic six-month extension to file.

April 15, or the next business day when it falls on a weekend or federal holiday, also is the deadline for five other tax tasks.

I know I mentioned them in my April 1 tax moves to make post. They're also listed in the right column of the ol' blog under the heading of the same name.

And the additional April 15 tax chores were the topic today for my posting at Bankrate Taxes Blog.

But I just have to nag remind you one more time. So here goes.

1. Make IRA contributions
The annual tax deadline is your last chance to make a contribution to your traditional or Roth IRA and have it count as if made in the prior calendar year. If you plan to deduct some or all of what you put into your transitional IRA last year, you need to put the money (or the rest of it) into the account by April 15.

2. Contribute to your HSA
If you have a health savings account (HSA), you have until April 15 to contribute and maximize your 2012 deductions to this medical insurance plan.

3. Pay your estimated taxes
Do you make estimated tax payments? Then your first payment for the 2013 tax year is due April 15.

4. Submit a tax year 2009 return
April 15, 2013, is the last day you can file a 2009 tax return and get your share of $917 million in refund money
that was not claimed by taxpayers for that year. If you don't claim it by this Tax Day, then Uncle Sam gets to keep your money.

5. File your state tax returns
Most states that collect income taxes from their residents follow the federal filing calendar. That means that you probably need to get those returns to your state tax office by April 15, too.

Have a good weekend!

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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