If you’re one of those people that’s still working on your taxes, you’re in luck this year. Because of the way the calendar falls and because of an annual event in the District, Tax Day has been extended to Monday, April 18.
That’s right, the stars have perfectly aligned.
The federal tax deadline, typically on April 15, falls on April 18 this year. And for the lucky residents of two states, taxes aren’t due until April 19. The extra cushion has nothing to do with the pandemic, which led to tax filing deadlines being pushed back considerably over the last two years. This year’s extension occurs because the traditional April 15 Tax Day conflicts with two lesser-known local holidays.
This year’s deadline, April 18, has been extended because the Internal Revenue Service’s District of Columbia offices will be closed on Friday, April 15, in observance of the District’s locally-recognized Emancipation Day.
The D.C. public holiday technically falls on Saturday, April 16 but is observed by the government on the closest weekday when it falls on a weekend. Congress initially set the filing deadline in March but it revised the Internal Revenue Code in 1954, moving the deadline to April 15, where it remains.
Over the last 67 years, Tax Day has fallen outside of the traditional date 26 times. After D.C. Emancipation Day came officially online in 2005, Tax Day has landed on April 15 only seven times, the last time being in 2019. Emancipation Day will postpone the IRS deadline again in 2023.