Friendly Reminder – Tomorrow is the Tax Deadline

I thought I’d post a quick reminder as to when your 2011 federal income tax return is due, and also to help myself remember to send that big ol' check off to the feds today as well. As you’re likely aware, the filing deadline is April 15th of each year. But when the deadline falls on a weekend, it’s pushed to the following Monday. And when the deadline falls on a federal holiday, it’s pushed to the next business. This time around, April 15th fell on a Sunday, and today is not a federal holiday. And yet, your taxes are due on tomorrow, Tuesday, April 17th. Why?

The funny date is due to a April 16th being Emancipation Day, which is a holiday in Washington, D.C. Emancipation Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act by President Lincoln in 1862, which freed the slaves in the District of Columbia.

Hopefully the date means nothing to you, but if you haven't filed, it defiantly does! You could be losing out on your refund, or if you owe, you may be in big trouble. But, unless you are just a proficient procrastinator like me, you should have had no problem meeting the deadline this year. We actually had three extras days to file. Along with the two I just explained, we also had a leap year which added an extra day to February, and in turn an extra day to file.