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National Day of Mourning for George H.W. Bush postpones federal and some state and local tax deadlines

December 5, 2018
George HW Bush lies in state at US Capitol Dec 3 2018
George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, lying in state at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Dec. 3. (Screenshot from C-SPAN video.)

President George H.W. Bush, who passed away Nov. 30 at age 94 at his Houston home, will be honored today, Wednesday, Dec. 5, at a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

The current President and First Lady, along with four others commanders-in-chief — the late 43rd president's son George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, along with their wives — are among the dignitaries from around the world who will be in attendance.

Taxes affected by National Day of Mourning: In addition to the ceremonies in the nation's capital, Donald J. Trump has proclaimed today a national day of mourning. As such, most federal offices, including the U.S. Post Office, will closed as in respect to Bush.

The Internal Revenue Service also announced that due to the federal government closure, taxpayers who were facing a tax deadline today now have an extra day, until Thursday, Dec. 6, to file any return or pay any tax originally due on Dec. 5.

The one-day extension applies to any return required to be filed with the IRS, as well as to any mandated federal tax payment, originally due today.

In addition, the extra filing and payment time also applies to any federal income, payroll or excise tax deposit due today, including those required to be made through the Treasury Department’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS).

US and Texas flags at half staff_Wil C Fry via Flickr
U.S and Texas flags at half-staff. (Photo by Wil C Fry via Flickr CC)


State and local also could be delayed:
If you are facing a more-local tax deadline today, check with those offices. They also might be granting a brief extension.

That's the case in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area.

The area's newspaper, The Daily Progress, notes that today is the deadline for the city's 2018 second-half taxes. However, in keeping with the federal day or mourning and because of the closure of the Postal Service, which many use to make their tax payment, county and city officials have moved the deadline to Thursday, Dec. 6.

Charlottesville tax payments postmarked, made in person or made online on Thursday will be counted as timely, say local officials, and no late penalty will be assessed.

You also might find these items of interest:

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
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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