Tax Filing Deadlines: Key Dates Taxpayers Should Track
Tax Filing Deadlines to Put on Your Calendar
Ask most people when are taxes due and they will say April, but tax filing deadlines run all year, and missing even one tax deadline can be costly. Employers and businesses face dates in January and February, pass-through entities file in March, self-employed taxpayers pay estimated tax four times a year, and extended returns come due in the fall. Missing any of them can lead to penalties and interest that have nothing to do with how much tax you actually owe.
This calendar focuses on the federal deadlines for the 2026 tax year, which are filed in 2027, along with the remaining 2026 dates for returns that are still open. It covers individuals, the self-employed and small businesses, and notes where Texas taxpayers have their own dates to watch.
Key IRS Filing Deadline Dates to Track
The general rules. Calendar-year individuals file Form 1040 by the 15th day of the fourth month after the tax year ends, which is usually April 15. Any due date that lands on a weekend or a legal holiday shifts forward to the following business day. The IRS also postpones deadlines for taxpayers in federally declared disaster areas, so anyone affected by a hurricane, flood or wildfire should check for relief before assuming the standard date applies.
Remaining 2026 dates. If you extended your 2025 individual return, it is due Thursday, October 15, 2026. The same date applies to extended calendar-year C corporation returns for 2025. The fourth estimated tax payment for 2026 is due Friday, January 15, 2027.
Early 2027: information returns. Employers must furnish Forms W-2 to employees and file them with the Social Security Administration by January 31. In 2027, that date falls on a Sunday, so the deadline is Monday, February 1, 2027. Businesses that paid contractors $2,000 or more during 2026 must furnish and file Forms 1099-NEC by the same date. Most other 1099 forms are due to recipients around the same time, though brokerage statements generally arrive by mid-February.
March 15, 2027: pass-through entities. Partnerships filing Form 1065 and S corporations filing Form 1120-S must file by Monday, March 15, 2027, for calendar-year 2026. Owners' Schedule K-1s are due by the same date. These entities can request a six-month extension on Form 7004, moving the deadline to September 15, 2027.
April 15, 2027: individuals and C corporations. The IRS filing deadline for 2026 individual returns is Thursday, April 15, 2027, and calendar-year C corporations filing Form 1120 share that date. It is also the deadline to request an automatic extension with Form 4868 or Form 7004, to pay any tax owed for 2026, to make the first 2027 estimated tax payment and to contribute to an IRA or HSA for 2026.
Later 2027 dates. The second and third 2027 estimated payments are due June 15 and September 15, 2027. U.S. citizens and residents living abroad on April 15 receive an automatic extension to June 15 to file. Extended partnership and S corporation returns are due September 15, and extended individual and C corporation returns are due Friday, October 15, 2027.
Payroll deadlines for employers. Businesses with employees also file Form 941 quarterly, generally by the last day of the month after each quarter ends: April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, adjusted for weekends. Annual Form 940 for federal unemployment tax is generally due January 31 as well, with its own deposit rules during the year.
Critical Tax Dates at a Glance
April 15
The standard deadline for 2026 individual returns and for paying any balance due is April 15, 2027. Filing an extension by that date avoids the late-filing penalty but not interest on unpaid tax.
Quarterly Estimates
The four 2026 installments fall on April 15, June 15, September 15 and, for the final quarter, January 15, 2027. Payments for 2027 follow the same pattern, with the first one due alongside the April return.
Extension Deadline
The tax extension deadline for 2026 individual returns is October 15, 2027. Extended 2025 returns are due October 15, 2026. Neither date extends the time to pay.
Business Returns
Calendar-year partnerships and S corporations file by March 15, 2027. C corporations file by April 15, 2027. Fiscal-year entities follow dates tied to their year-end.
State Deadlines
Texas has no personal income tax. Texas franchise tax reports are generally due May 15, moving to the next business day when that date falls on a weekend. Other states set their own dates.
IRA Contributions
Contributions to a traditional or Roth IRA for 2026 can be made until April 15, 2027. An extension does not extend this deadline.
HSA Contributions
Contributions to a health savings account for 2026 are also due April 15, 2027. The 2026 limits are $4,400 for self-only and $8,750 for family coverage.
Filing Your Return on Time
A deadline is easiest to meet when the work starts early. Build a simple calendar at the start of each year with every date that applies to you: estimated payments if you are self-employed, information return deadlines if you pay employees or contractors, entity return deadlines if you own a partnership or S corporation, and your individual filing date. Set reminders two weeks before each one, which leaves time to gather figures and resolve questions.
For individual returns, start collecting documents as soon as W-2s and 1099s arrive in late January and early February. Business owners should close their books for the year by mid-February so that entity returns and K-1s can be prepared before March 15; late K-1s are one of the most common reasons individual owners end up filing extensions.
If you know you cannot finish by April 15, request an extension on or before that date and pay your best estimate of the tax owed. Of the two late penalties, the one for not filing is ten times steeper per month than the one for not paying, so a return submitted on time with a partial payment is far cheaper than a late one.
Watch for a few deadlines that are easy to miss. If you file a return early but still owe, you can schedule the payment for April 15 through IRS Direct Pay or your online account instead of paying the day you file. If you are expecting a refund, there is no penalty for filing after April 15, but the refund must generally be claimed within three years. And if you receive a corrected W-2 or 1099 after you have already filed, you may need to file an amended return, which has its own time limits.
Keep proof of timely filing and payment. For e-filed returns, save the acceptance acknowledgment; for payments, save confirmation numbers. For paper returns, use certified mail or an IRS-designated private delivery service and keep the receipt.
The IRS Publication 509, Tax Calendars, lists federal due dates in detail for individuals, employers and businesses. For filing options, see the IRS page on how to file your tax return. Business owners juggling entity and personal deadlines often find it easier to work with one preparer for both; Manifest & Multiply Financials handles tax preparation for individuals and businesses and answers questions year-round.
Frequently Asked Questions
April 15, 2027, which falls on a Thursday. Taxpayers in areas covered by IRS disaster relief may have a later date, and U.S. citizens living abroad on the due date have an automatic extension to June 15.
For 2026: April 15, June 15, September 15, 2026, and January 15, 2027. Dates on a weekend or holiday move to the next business day. The periods are uneven, so the second payment covers only two months of income.
No. Tax owed for 2026 is due April 15, 2027, even if you extend the filing deadline to October 15. Unpaid amounts accrue interest from April 15, and a late-payment penalty may also apply unless you paid at least 90% of the tax on time.
Calendar-year partnerships and S corporations must file by March 15, 2027, for the 2026 tax year, or by September 15, 2027, with a Form 7004 extension.
If you owe tax, penalties for filing and paying late start to build, and interest accrues on the unpaid balance. Returns more than 60 days late face a minimum penalty, set at $535 or 100% of the unpaid tax, whichever is less, for returns required to be filed in 2027. File as soon as possible to limit the charges.
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