December 22, 2023

Important Tax Dates and Deadlines in 2024

Updated for tax year 2023.

Get ready to mark these important dates on your calendar. Here are the most important tax deadlines and due dates for taxpayers to be aware of in 2024 (and answers to some common tax questions).

When are taxes due?

In 2024, Tax Day falls on April 15. This is the deadline for filing your taxes as a calendar year filer.

The April 15 deadline applies to traditional employees who receive a W-2, self-employed sole proprietors (including freelancers, independent contractors, or gig workers), retirees, multi-member LLCs, and corporate returns.

What is the deadline for filing taxes as a business?

There are two exceptions to the April 15 tax deadline — the due date for partnerships and S corporations to file their business return is March 15, 2024.

Why is Tax Day 2024 on April 15?

Typically, the tax due date is April 15 unless that day falls on a weekend or a holiday. In that case, Tax Day is usually pushed back to the next business day.

What time are taxes due on the 15th?

You must file your taxes by 11:59 p.m. on April 15, 2024. This is the last day to file and pay without penalty unless you request a tax extension. Once the clock strikes midnight, you risk potential late fees and late filing penalties. If you need more time to file, you must request an extension (more on that below).

Do you have to have your taxes done by April 15?

If you can’t file your income tax return by April 15 this year, you can give yourself more time by requesting an automatic tax extension. You can do this when e-filing with TaxAct® by filing IRS Form 4868 before the tax deadline (April 15, 2024). We’ll walk you through the process, help you claim relevant tax deductions and tax credits, and assist you in filing any state extension forms as well, if necessary.

Make sure you file for an extension before the tax deadline. If you don’t file for an extension before the Tax Day due date, you risk being charged late fees and penalties.

Once you’ve filed for an extension, you will have until Oct. 15, 2024, to complete and file your 2023 federal tax return. Like Tax Day, the extension deadline is typically Oct. 15, unless the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday.

One important note — filing an automatic tax extension only gives you more time to file. It will not give you more time to pay any taxes due. When you request an extension with Form 4868, you’ll be able to estimate and pay any taxes due for 2023. If you’re expecting a tax refund and don’t anticipate owing any taxes, you should be in the clear.

If you need more time to file your business tax return, you can also request a business tax extension. Partnerships, multi-member LLCs, and corporations can file an extension using Form 7004. Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs will use Form 4868. You can request an extension using either of these tax forms when e-filing with TaxAct using our tax preparation software.

Since businesses have an earlier tax filing due date (March 15), the IRS also gives them an earlier extension due date. The tax deadline for filing an extended business tax return for 2023 is Sept. 16, 2024.

What is the tax deadline for the first quarter of 2024?

April 15 is also the due date for first quarter estimated tax payments. This due date applies to those with little or no income tax withheld from their wages, such as freelancers, small business owners, and investors.

The due dates for this year are as follows:

What is the September 15 tax deadline?

Sept. 15 is the typical tax filing deadline for Q3 estimated tax payments. It is also the typical tax due date for partnerships and S-corporations that requested a business return extension. However, the deadline for both in 2024 is Sept. 16, as the 15th falls on a Sunday.

What are the tax deadlines for 2024?

Depending on your tax situation and what kind of filer you are, there are different tax dates to be aware of. Below are the important tax dates and deadlines for individual filers, including those who are retired, an employee, or self-employed.

Tip: Before filing, estimate your potential income taxes using our tax calculator.

Jan. 16, 2024– Tax payment due for 2023 Q4 estimated tax payments for self-employed individuals or those with other income without tax withholding.
Jan. 23, 2024– The expected launch of tax season 2023 — the IRS is expected to start accepting and processing income tax returns for 2023 on this day.
Jan. 31, 2024– Employers must send W-2 forms no later than this date (you still might receive yours in early February). This is also the deadline to send certain 1099 forms, including 1099-NEC, which reports self-employment income from side hustles or freelance work. You might also receive a Form 1099-MISC if you received income from interest or dividends, rents, royalties, or prize winnings.
Feb. 15, 2024– Deadline to reclaim your exemption from withholding. This applies if you choose to claim an exemption from your employer withholding taxes from your paycheck on your Form W-4. To continue to be exempt from withholding, you must give your employer a new Form W-4 by this date every year.
April 1, 2024– Due date to take the required minimum distribution from your retirement account if you turned 73 during the 2023 calendar year.
April 15, 2024– Tax Day deadline to file or e-file your federal income tax return (and most state tax returns, if applicable). There are some exceptions for certain states — Maine and Massachusetts state taxes are due April 17; Delaware and Iowa state taxes are due April 30; Hawaii state taxes are due April 20; Virginia state taxes are due May 1; and Louisiana state taxes are due May 15.

This is also the deadline to request an extension by filing Form 4868 and to pay any taxes due from tax year 2023 (even if you are requesting an extension).
You must also make HSA and IRA contributions for tax year 2023 by April 15, 2024.
April 15 is also when estimated tax payments are due for the first quarter of 2024.

June 17, 2024– The due date for 2024 Q2 estimated tax payments.
Sept. 16, 2024– The due date for 2024 Q3 estimated tax payments.
Oct. 15, 2024– If you filed for an extension, this is the deadline to file your 2023 income tax return.
Jan. 15, 2025– The due date for 2024 Q4 estimated tax payments.

When are business taxes due?

While many deadlines below are similar to individual due dates, small business owners have some unique tax due dates to keep in mind. The list below doesn’t cover every tax deadline, but we’ve included some of the most important ones to remember.

Jan. 16, 2024– The due date for 2023 Q4 estimated tax payments.
Jan. 31, 2024– Deadline for employers to send W-2 forms to their employees. This is also the deadline to send out certain 1099 forms such as 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, or 1099-K.
March 15, 2024– Taxes are due for partnerships, S corporations, or multi-member LLCs taxed as partnerships. This is the due date for calendar year business filers. If your business uses a fiscal year instead, your tax due date is the 15th day of the third month after the close of your tax year. For example, if your business’s fiscal year is June 1 – May 31, your business tax return due date would be Aug. 15 — three months and 15 days after May 31.

March 15 is also the deadline for the above-mentioned business types to request an extension and the deadline to file Form 2553 to switch your business election to an S corp for tax year 2024.

April 15, 2024– Tax filing deadline for C Corporations (Form 1120), sole proprietors (Schedule C), single-member LLCs, and LLCs taxed as corporations. If your business uses a fiscal tax year, you must file your business tax return by the 15th day of the third month after the end of your tax year.

This is also the deadline for the above-mentioned types of businesses to file for a tax extension.

June 17, 2024– The due date for 2024 Q2 estimated tax payments.
Sept. 16, 2024– The due date for 2024 Q3 estimated tax payments. This is also the deadline for partnerships and S corps that filed a tax extension to submit their tax returns.
Oct. 15, 2024– The tax deadline for C corporations that filed a tax extension.
Jan. 15, 2025– The due date for 2024 Q4 estimated tax payments.

If you’d like a complete picture of all the 2024 tax calendar due dates, head to IRS Publication 509.

This article is for informational purposes only and not legal or financial advice.

All TaxAct offers, products and services are subject to applicable terms and conditions.

The post Important Tax Dates and Deadlines in 2024 appeared first on TaxAct Blog.

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How Your Year-End Bonus Is Taxed

Updated for tax year 2023.

If you work as an employee, you’re probably used to having income tax withheld from your paycheck. When you get a bonus, however, there may be more confusion about how it’s taxed and what will be left over.

Here are the most important things to know about how bonuses are taxed.

At a glance:

Most employee bonuses are taxable like regular wages, but small non-cash bonuses like event tickets or holiday gifts may be nontaxable.
Your employer has two options when taxing your bonus: taxing them at your regular rate or using a 22% flat tax rate.
Bonuses are included in your Form W-2, reported in Box 1 along with other wages.

Employee bonuses are taxable, just like ordinary wages.

Whether you receive a bonus in the middle of the year or at the end, your employer must withhold 6.2% for Social Security tax and 1.45% for Medicare tax. Those are the same values they withhold from every paycheck you receive. Your employer then matches those amounts and pays the IRS on your behalf.

Additionally, your employer must withhold federal and state income tax from your bonus. The bonus amount is also included with your other taxable salaries and wages on your Form W-2 at the end of the year.

Your employer has two options for withholding income tax.

Your employer can determine how much income tax to withhold in one of two ways:

Aggregate method: Your income tax withholding is calculated as if your bonus was added to one of your regular paychecks. This means it will be taxed at your typical tax rate depending on your tax bracket.
Flat percentage method: The IRS also allows employers to simply withhold a flat 22% from each employee’s bonus for income tax. That is in addition to the Social Security and Medicare taxes as well as any state income tax. If your bonus is over $1 million, the first $1 million has a 22% tax withheld for federal income tax. Anything you receive over $1 million is taxed at 37%. That method is only available for employees who have income tax withheld from regular wages for the year or the preceding year.

Form W-2 reports your bonus.

When you get your Form W-2 next January, your bonus is already included in your wages and salaries in Box 1. You don’t need to do anything else to report your bonus to the IRS.

Not all bonuses are taxable.

If you get small, non-cash bonuses from your employer, you don’t have to report them as income or pay tax on them. Nontaxable bonuses include things like sporting event tickets, holiday parties, and that giant tin of popcorn that takes a month to eat.

Be aware that calling something a “gift” doesn’t make it nontaxable, however. If your employer gives you $500 cash at Christmas, that’s a taxable bonus.

Reduce the tax bite on your bonus.

A little tax planning can help you keep more of your tax bonus – or at least make better use of it. For example, you could increase the amount you contribute to your 401(k) plan or other retirement account to offset the extra tax owed on your bonus.

You could also use part of the money to increase your charitable contributions or other deductible expenditures. If you itemize deductions, that will help reduce your total tax bill for the year.

Adjust your Form W-4 before or after your bonus.

If you want to have more or less income tax withheld from your bonus, you can ask your employer if they use the aggregate method or the flat percentage method. Depending on their answer, you may consider filing a new Form W-4 shortly before the bonuses come out to have less tax withheld from the bonus. TaxAct has a handy W-4 calculator that can help you fill out your W-4 form in the way that’s most beneficial for your goals and tax situation1.

You can also file a new Form W-4 after you receive your bonus to reduce the extra withholding. As a result, you’ll get more money in each paycheck for the rest of the year instead of waiting for it to come in the form of a tax refund.

1Refund Booster may not work for everyone or in all circumstances and by itself doesn’t constitute legal or tax advice. Your personal tax situation may vary.

This article is for informational purposes only and not legal or financial advice.

All TaxAct offers, products and services are subject to applicable terms and conditions.

The post How Your Year-End Bonus Is Taxed appeared first on TaxAct Blog.

– ​Tax Tips and Tax Planning Resources | TaxAct Blog

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