Washington – Taxpayers got an extra three days to file their federal tax returns this year. They can thank the nation’s capital for the extra time.
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The filing deadline was delayed until midnight Monday because the District of Columbia observed Emancipation Day last Friday. By law, local holidays in the nation’s capital impact tax deadlines the same way federal holidays would. States generally follow the federal deadline.
Emancipation Day marks the occasion when President Abraham Lincoln signed a law ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Lincoln signed it April 16, 1862, more than eight months before he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which eventually led to all slaves being freed.
April 16 fell on Saturday this year, so the holiday was observed April 15, the traditional tax filing deadline.
I’ve never understood the mentality of taxpayers who wait until the last minute to file their federal income tax forms; in most cases, they could have filed at least a month or two earlier, but are just too lazy or negligent to do so.
To #1 - I’m afraid that you don’t know what you are talking about. I’ve been filing federal and state returns for 51 years. I always file early, either at the end of January, or at the beginning of February. A lot of people who are due refunds, for whatever reason, still wait until the last minute to file their returns. What sense does that make?