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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Tax Season 2026 Continues!

We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.

But enough about Uncle Sam’s tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y’all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.

The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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