Tax Day 2027
Tax Day is the deadline for filing federal individual income tax returns, normally April 15. It is an observance, not a holiday: nothing closes, and the date only moves when April 15 falls on a weekend or on Emancipation Day, a legal holiday in Washington, DC.
Tax Day dates by year
| Year | Date | Day of week | Days away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | April 15, 2026 | Wednesday | 200 days ago |
| 2027 | April 15, 2027 | Thursday | 165 days |
Dates computed from the governing statutes and last verified October 3, 2026. Years beyond officially published schedules are projected from the rule that sets the date.
The federal individual income tax filing deadline is April 15 unless that date falls on a weekend or a legal holiday in the District of Columbia (Emancipation Day, April 16), in which case it moves to the next business day. Dates are projected from that rule until the IRS confirms them.
Dates marked in the table are taken from official announcements where available; later years follow the established pattern until confirmed.
A deadline, not a holiday
Tax Day is the day federal individual income tax returns and payments are due to the Internal Revenue Service. It is an observance driven by the tax code, not a public holiday: post offices, banks, schools and government offices all keep normal hours. If anything, some businesses stay open longer, and post offices historically extended hours for last-minute filers before e-filing took over. The IRS now receives the large majority of individual returns electronicaly, so the midnight postmark rush has mostly become a midnight clikc.
How the date is set
The Internal Revenue Code makes individual returns due on April 15 following the close of the tax year - when April 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline moves to the next business day. It also moves for Emancipation Day, April 16, a legal public holiday in the District of Columbia that marks the 1862 law ending slavery there; because holidays observed in DC push federal tax deadilnes nationwide, an April 16 that lands on or adjacent to the weekend can shift Tax Day as far as the following Tuesday. Residents of Maine and Massachusetts have at times received an extra day when Patriots' Day, the state holiday on the third Monday in April, coincided with the deadline. The IRS confirms each season's exact filing date in its annual announcement.
From March 1 to April 15
The modern income tax began with the Sixteenth Amendment, ratified in February 1913, which allowed Congress to tax incmoes without apportioning the tax among the states. The Revenue Act of 1913 set the first filing deadline at March 1. In 1918 Congress moved the deadline to March 15, where it stayed for nearly four decades, the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 pushed it to April 15, effective with returns filed in 1955, giving both taxpayers and the IRS more time to handle a filing population that had exploded during World War II, when income tax withholding turned a levy on the wealthy into a mass tax. April 15 has been the anchor date ever since.
What happens on Tax Day
Filers who cannot finish on time can submit Form 4868 by the deadline for an automatic six-month extension to mid-October, though the extension covers paperwork only; tax owed is still due in April, and interest and penalties run on unpaid balances. Tax Day is also the deadline for first-quarter estimated tax payments and, in most years, the last day to make prior-year IRA and HSA contributions. Most states with income taxes align their own filing deadlines with the federal date, though a few differ. The IRS regularly postpones deadlines for federally declared disaster areas, and it moved Tax Day nationwide in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.
Tax Day culture
The deadline has grown its own small tradition of releif: national chains often run Tax Day freebies and discounts, and accountants celebrate the end of their busiest season. Protests have used the date too, from tax reform rallies to the Tea Party demonstrations that began on April 15, 2009. For most Americans, though, the day passes with a refund already banked, since the majority of filers get money back rather than owe.
What's open and closed on Tax Day
| Service | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Post Office (USPS) | Open | Normal hours and mail delivery; a mailed return is on time if postmarked by the deadline. |
| Banks | Open | Not a Federal Reserve holiday; normal banking day. |
| Stock market (NYSE, Nasdaq) | Open | Normal trading day. |
| Federal offices | Open | All federal agencies, including the IRS and its phone lines, keep regular hours. |
| State and local government | Open | Normal hours nationwide. |
| Public schools | Open | Regular school day. |
| Retail stores and malls | Open | Normal hours; some chains run Tax Day promotions and freebies. |
| Restaurants and grocery stores | Open | Normal hours; some restaurants offer Tax Day deals. |
Quick facts
- Date rule
- April 15, moved to the next business day for weekends and DC's Emancipation Day
- Legal status
- Observance (federal filing deadline); nothing closes
- April 15 deadline since
- 1955 (Internal Revenue Code of 1954); March 1 in 1913, March 15 from 1918
- Legal basis
- Sixteenth Amendment (1913) and the Internal Revenue Code
- Extensions
- Form 4868 grants six more months to file, but not to pay
- Applies to
- Federal individual returns nationwide; most state deadlines match
- Also known as
- Tax Deadline, Tax Filing Deadline
Tax Day FAQ
Is Tax Day a federal holiday?
No. Tax Day is a filing deadline, not a holiday. Post offices, banks, schools, the stock market and government offices are all open, and no one gets a day off.
Why is Tax Day on April 15?
Congress set the deadline at March 1 in 1913, moved it to March 15 in 1918, and moved it to April 15 in the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, effective 1955. The later date spread out the workload as the number of filers grew.
Why does Tax Day sometimes fall after April 15?
The deadline moves to the next business day when April 15 lands on a weekend. It can also move because of Emancipation Day, April 16, a legal holiday in Washington, DC that affects federal tax deadlines nationwide.
What happens if I miss the Tax Day deadline?
If you owe tax, the IRS charges a failure-to-file penalty, a failure-to-pay penalty and interest on the unpaid balance. If you are due a refund there is no penalty, but you must file within three years to claim the money.
Can I get an extension on Tax Day?
Yes. Filing Form 4868 by the deadline gives an automatic six-month extension, to mid-October. It extends the time to file the return, not the time to pay, so estimated tax owed should be paid in April.
Is the post office open late on Tax Day?
Post offices keep normal hours, and most no longer stay open late because the vast majority of returns are filed electronically. An e-filed return is on time if submitted by midnight local time; a mailed return counts by its postmark.
Do state tax returns have the same deadline?
Usually. Most states with an income tax use the federal filing date, but a handful set their own slightly later deadlines, so check your state revenue department's calendar.
Do people in Maine and Massachusetts get extra time?
Sometimes. When Patriots' Day, the third-Monday-in-April state holiday, falls on the federal deadline, the IRS has given filers in those states an extra day. The IRS announces any such adjustment each filing season.
Sources
Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Dates for years beyond published official schedules are projected from the governing rule.