2026 tax filing guide: State and federal tax deadlines 

Federal tax filing deadline: When are 2026 taxes due?

Taxes for tax year 2026 are due Thursday, April 15, 2027.

How do I ensure my tax return is postmarked by the deadline? 

If you send a paper return through the mail, the IRS determines whether it’s on time based on the postmark. Even if it receives your return after April 15, as long as the United States Postal Service (USPS) postmarks it on or before April 15, the IRS considers your return to be on time.
USPS has new rules as of December 24, 2025, that impact how it applies postmarks. USPS used to postmark mail the day it received it. Now, USPS postmarks mail the day it processes it. These new rules are meant to increase efficiency, but can mean the IRS treats your return as late if USPS processes and postmarks it after April 15.

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself and ensure your return is on time:

• Request a manual postmark at your local post office, which USPS applies at no extra cost and reflects the actual date you handed over your mail.
• Use Certified Mail or Registered Mail, which gives you dated proof that USPS accepted your return, separate from the postmark itself.
• Mail well before the deadline, ideally several days ahead, giving you a buffer in case USPS has processing delays.
• File electronically to skip the postmark rigmarole altogether, and get an immediate confirmation that the IRS received your return.

What happens if I file my taxes late?

What happens if you file your taxes late depends on whether you owe tax. If you owe, filing late could mean IRS penalties and interest. If you don’t owe, you could be missing out on refund money from the IRS.

State penalties vary by state. It's best to work with your Tax Pro to manage and navigate your state's rules.

What happens if I miss the tax filing deadline, but the IRS owes me a refund?

If you miss the tax filing deadline and the IRS owes you a refund, file ASAP to get your money. You won’t face any penalties if you don’t file, but you will miss out on money the IRS owes you.

Skipping filing a return also means skipping tax credits you may qualify for that not only lower your tax but could also increase your refund, including:

• The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): Fully refundable and worth up to $8,231 with 3 or more qualifying children, $7,316 with 2 children, $4,427 with 1 child, and $664 with no children, depending on your income and filing status.
• The Additional Child Tax Credit (the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit): Worth up to $1,700 per qualifying child.
• The American Opportunity Tax Credit: Partially refundable and worth up to $2,500 per eligible student, with up to $1,000 refundable.
• The Premium Tax Credit: Fully refundable and helps lower the cost of health insurance purchased through the Marketplace, with the amount based on your household income and the cost of your plan.

It’s also important to file right away because you only have 3 years from the original due date to claim refund money the IRS owes you. After that, you forfeit your money to the U.S. Treasury and will not be able to get it back.

For example, let’s say the IRS owes you a $1,200 refund before refundable credits, and you also qualify for the maximum EITC with one child, worth $4,427. If you don't file, you don't just lose the $1,200 you overpaid. You lose the full $5,627. And if you wait more than 3 years, that $5,627 is gone for good.

What happens if I miss the tax filing deadline and owe the IRS? 

If you miss the tax filing deadline and you owe the IRS, correct course by filing right away to avoid potential IRS penalties. The IRS can charge a failure-to-file penalty every month you don’t file, plus a failure-to-pay penalty every month you don’t pay the tax you owe. (More on those later.)

On top of these penalties, the IRS can charge interest that accrues daily on any unpaid tax, plus interest on its assessed penalties. The longer you wait to settle your tax bill, the more you could owe in the end.

Filing quickly matters even if you can't pay your full tax bill right away. The failure-to-file penalty generally costs far more than the failure-to-pay penalty, so submitting your return now and paying what you can help to limit some of the damage while you work out the rest. You may even be able to set up a payment plan or come to some other arrangement with the IRS to settle your tax. Your local Jackson Hewitt Tax Pro can help you determine your options.

If you still don’t file, the IRS may eventually file a return on your behalf using the income information it already has, like your W-2s and 1099s. The IRS won’t apply deductions or credits you might qualify for, which means you could end up owing more than you would have otherwise.

The bottom line is that the sooner you file and start addressing what you owe, the more options you'll have to manage the situation.

What is the failure-to-file penalty?

The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of your unpaid tax for every month (or part of a month) you’re late filing your return, up to a maximum of 25%. If your return is more than 60 days late, the IRS also applies a minimum penalty of whichever is smaller: $525 or 100% of the tax you owe. That minimum could end up costing more than the percentage-based penalty if your tax bill is small.

What is the failure-to-pay penalty? 

The failure-to-pay penalty is 0.5% of your unpaid tax per month, up to a maximum of 25%. When both the failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties apply in the same month, the combined penalty caps at 5%, broken down as 4.5% for filing late and 0.5% for paying late.

For example, say you owe $5,000 and file your return 3 months after the deadline. Each month, the IRS charges a combined penalty of 5% of your unpaid tax, or $250. After 3 months, you'd owe $750 in penalties on top of the original $5,000, plus interest on the penalties and unpaid tax.

How can I reduce or avoid IRS penalties?

The best way to avoid IRS penalties altogether is to file and pay your tax on time. If you cannot do so, there are a few other things you may be able to do to reduce or avoid penalties:

• File an extension by April 15: You can request more time to file from the IRS by filing an extension; however, you must do so before the tax filing deadline. It’s also important to note that filing an extension doesn’t give you more time to pay, so while it could help you avoid failure-to-file penalties, you still may face failure-to-pay penalties and interest on any unpaid tax.
• Request a payment plan: You can request a short-term payment extension or a long-term incremental payment from the IRS, even if you file late. While a payment plan doesn’t stop IRS penalties altogether, it does reduce the failure-to-pay penalty rate by half to 0.25%.
• Pay as much as you can by the deadline: Even if you can't pay your full tax bill, pay what you can now to reduce the unpaid balance the IRS calculates penalties and interest on. This helps to minimize the total cost of filing or paying late.
• Apply for an Offer in Compromise: If you meet strict qualifications, the IRS may agree to let you settle your tax bill for less than you owe. This may include some or all penalties, depending on your situation.
• Request Currently Not Collectible status: If paying your tax bill would interfere with your ability to cover basic living expenses, like housing or food, the IRS may agree to pause its collection efforts, which may include penalties and interest, until your finances improve.
• Ask for First-Time Penalty Abatement: You can request to have the IRS waive a penalty, even after the fact. You may qualify if you have a good track record, meaning you've filed and paid on time for the past 3 years.
• Show reasonable cause: If you missed the deadline because of circumstances beyond your control, like a serious illness, a death in the family, or a natural disaster, you can request penalty relief by explaining what happened. The IRS evaluates these requests case by case.

The key takeaway is that if you can’t pay your tax on time, there are many ways to reduce IRS penalties and interest. Your local Jackson Hewitt Tax Pro can help you determine the best path forward.

Does an extension give me more time to pay? 

No, filing a tax extension does not give you more time to pay. It just gives you more time to file. If you need more time to pay tax you owe, you may be able to set up a short-term extension or a long-term payment plan with the IRS.

Can a natural disaster extend my filing deadline? 

Yes, the IRS may extend your filing deadline if you’re affected by a natural disaster. The IRS will automatically grant you an extension if your address is in an area where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has declared a federal disaster. You don’t even have to request it.

If you don’t live in the affected area, but your tax preparer does, the IRS may grant you an extension, too, but it won’t do so automatically. You must request it.

The IRS often offers disaster tax relief beyond just a filing extension. The IRS may also extend quarterly estimated tax payments (if you’re self-employed), as well as individual retirement account (IRA) and health savings account (HSA) contribution deadlines.

The IRS’s typical automatic extension is 60 to 120 days, but the IRS will announce extensions separately for each disaster. Make sure to check the IRS website for information about specific disasters each year.

Don’t forget, your 2026 tax return is due April 15, 2027. Your local Tax Pro is here to help you get past the finish line and stay on the IRS’s good side, whether you need to file an extension, review your tax withholdings for the year, set up a payment plan, or even just ask a question. Find tax services near you, then walk in or book now.