All tax due dates assume that date falls on a business day. If the due date falls on a holiday or weekend, the due date will be the next business day.
Individual Income Tax Returns
March 1: Farmers and fishermen: File your income tax return (Form 1040) and pay any tax due. (NOTE: This is not technically a deadline, rather it is a permission to file early and pay your tax all at once, rather than every quarter like your business friends are required to do. Your tax return is actually not overdue if you file by April 15 but you will be required to pay interest from January 15 to April 15 for any tax due.)
April 15: All other individuals must file an income tax return and pay any tax due by this date. If you wish to have an 6-month extension, file Form 4868. This grants you an extension of time to file, but not an extension of time to pay any tax you might owe. If you think you owe tax, you are required to pay 90% of tax due. If you do not pay, your extension will still be granted, but you will owe interest and penalty from April 15 until the day you file and pay in full. (NOTE: If you are out of the country, you are granted an automatic extension to file of 60 days past the due date.)
October 15: If you requested a 6-month extension to file, your return is now due.
Form 1040-ES Quarterly Income Tax Estimates are due April 15, June 15, October 15, and January 15.
​
Partnership Income Tax Returns
April 15: File your Form 1065 Partnership income tax return by this date. Be sure that you give each partner their Form K1 to use in the preparing of their Individual Income Tax Returns. (NOTE: The penalty for failing to file a Partnership Return timely is very severe: $195 per partner per month! Filing a return with only 3 partners six months late would result in a penalty of $3,510 plus interest!)
September 15: If you requested a 5-month extension to file, your return is now due.
​
Corporate Income Tax Returns
March 15: File a previous calendar year income tax return (Form 1120 or 1120S) and pay any tax due. If you want a 6-month extension of time to file the return, file Form 7004 and pay any tax you estimate you owe.
September 15: If you requested a 6-month extension to file, your return is now due.
Fiscal Year End Corporations: the due date is the fifteenth of the third month following the fiscal year end date. In other words, a corporation with a March 31 fiscal year end would be due June 15.
Payroll Tax Returns
Form 940: The annual federal unemployment tax return, Form 940, is due January 31 (for previous calendar year). However, you are required to to deposit any tax due quarterly. Payment due dates: April 31, July 31, October 31, January 31.
Form 941: File Form 941 and pay any social security and medicare, or federal income taxes withheld each quarter. Quarterly payroll tax returns are due: April 30, July 31, October 31, & January 31 (for previous calendar quarter). However, unless you have a very small business with few employees, you will be required to pay in your payroll taxes on a monthly or semi-weekly schedule. (see below)
Form 943: If you paid wages to farmworkers and the wages were subject to social security and Medicare, or federal income tax withholding, file Form 943 and pay any tax due by January 31 (for previous calendar year).
Forms W2 & W3: File W2 forms with the W3 summary form with the IRS by March 31. You are required to hand your employees their copy of their W2 form by January 31 to use in preparing their income tax return.
Forms 1099 & 1096: If you are filing a paper copy of your 1099 forms, send them in along with the 1096 summary form by February 28. Electronically filed 1099s are due March 31. Remember, you are required to give the recipients their copy of their 1099 form by January 31 to use in preparing their income tax return.
​
Payroll Tax Deposits
In general, you are required to make a monthly or semi-weekly payroll deposit (or payment) of all Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes withheld. Your deposit schedule is based on the total tax liability you reported on Form 941 during a lookback period.
Monthly Depositer Schedule: Deposit employment taxes due by the 15th day of the following month.
Semi-weekly Depositer Schedule: If you write paychecks on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, you must deposit employment taxes due by the next Wednesday. If you write paychecks on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, employment taxes are due by the following Friday.
​
Other Return Due Dates
Form 720 Excise Tax: File by the last day of the month following the quarter ending.
Form 2290 Heavy Use Tax: File and pay by July 31 on trucks that have been on the road continuously all year. If a truck is placed in service during the year, please call for the due date.