Why Rush? Taxes Are Due April 18

Menlo Park  tax procrastinators, rejoice.

While you were preparing for a hurried next day-and-a-half locating W-2 forms and going through shoeboxes filled with last year's receipts to make the April 15 federal and state income tax deadline, relax. You actually will have until Monday, April 18 to post or send in via the internet your federal taxes and April 19 for your state form.

No, this is not a late April Fool's prank. In fact, you can thank an obscure holiday celebrated in Washington D.C. for these extra days of grace from filing our taxes.

According to the IRS website, Emancipation Day will fall on Saturday, and will therefore be observed on the previous day, Friday April 15. 

Under Internal Revenue Code § 2503, holidays in the District of Columbia are legal holidays for purposes of determining due dates for taxes. Consequently, federal returns otherwise due on April 15 will be treated as timely filed if they are filed on April 18.

Planning to file for an extension? You'll have until October 17 to file.