Today is April 15, the day most Americans must file their federal tax returns for 2018. Note that we say “most Americans.” Taxpayers in two states have until April 17 to file their 2018 tax returns. Residents in Maine and Massachusetts get two extra days to submit their 1040s to the IRS. Patriots’ Day, is an official holiday in those two states, which commemorates Revolutionary War battles, and it so happens it falls on April 15 this year. Normally, residents of those two states would get an extra day to file taxes. However, April 16 is Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. The holiday honors the end of slavery in Washington, D.C. April 16 is a legal holiday in D.C., and the IRS can’t require that tax returns be filed on a legal holiday. Here in Michigan, however, today is the day, however if for some reason you can’t file your federal tax return on time, it’s easy to get an automatic six-month extension. But you have to act by April 15 and keep in mind, that an extension to file doesn’t extend the time to pay your tax. If your tax is not paid by the original due date, you’ll owe interest on the unpaid tax. You could also be hit with additional penalties for filing and paying late.
