Why The 2016 Tax Deadline Was Moved to April 18 for Most Americans

Personal tax returns are usually due on April 15 of each year, but there are some exceptions

Most people know April 15 as the deadline for submitting personal tax returns, but that's not the case this year. 

For the 2016 deadline, the Internal Revenue Service has given taxpayers in all but two states until Monday, April 18 to pay their taxes. 

When the date falls on a weekend, it is often moved to the following Monday. But this year, April 15 is a Friday.

Here's what's happening. The IRS is observing a holiday that is usually only observed in Washington, D.C.

Emancipation Day marks the day the Compensated Emancipation Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln and is observed April 16.

It's a legal holiday in D.C., and public employees are given the day off work. However, because this April 16 falls on a Saturday, it is celebrated on the closest weekday, which is Friday, April 15.

This means public employees such as those who work for the IRS will have April 15 off work, so that pushes the tax deadline to the next business day: Monday, April 18.

For taxpayers who live in Maine or Massachusetts, another holiday pushes their tax deadline back to Tuesday, April 19. This legal holiday is Patriots’ Day, and it is always observed in the two states on the third Monday of April.

However, the first installment for estimated tax payments is due Monday, April 18, whether or not the person lives in Maine or Massachusetts. That's because estimated tax payments are required to be sent to another state that does not observe the holiday.

For full information visit IRS.gov

This article was provided by our partners at moneytips.com
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