Mailing a Tax Return? Your Deadline May Be as Early as April 9

Taxes are due April 15 unless you’re a paper filer.

If you mail your tax return, the deadline could be as early as April 9 thanks to a change at the U.S. Postal Service, tax experts said.

USPS said in January that it changed its transportation operations, so some mail may no longer arrive on the same day it’s mailed at processing facilities. Since mail is automatically postmarked at processing facilities, postmark dates won’t necessarily match the date a letter carrier collected the customer’s mail or dropped it off at a retail location.

Failure to get an April 15 or earlier postmark means the IRS will count that tax return and any payments you may make as late. A late return triggers IRS penalties and interest on any amount you owe.

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How Much Are IRS Penalties?

The IRS penalizes late tax returns for people who owe money. They’re calculated from the due date and include:

• Failure to file: 5% of the tax owed each month, or for part of a month, the return is late up to a maximum of 25%. If your return is more than 60 days late, there’s also a minimum penalty for late filing. The minimum penalty is the lesser of $525 this year or 100% of the tax owed.
• Failure-to-pay: 0.5% for each month, or part of a month, up to a maximum of 25%, of the unpaid tax from the due date of the return until the tax is paid in full. The penalty increases to 1% if the tax remains unpaid 10 days after the IRS issues a notice of intent to seize assets.
• Interest: An interest rate determined quarterly by the federal short-term rate plus 3% is charged on tax owed. Interest compounds daily. In the first three months of the year, the rate was 7%.

How Many Taxpayers May Be Affected?

Last year, the IRS said it processed more than 165 million individual income tax returns. About 94% were submitted electronically, and 6% (about 11 million) were filed on paper.

Not everyone will be penalized if their returns are late, though. Taxpayers who don’t owe tax or are due a refund generally don’t face any penalties or interest.

How to Avoid a Late Return?

To avoid a late return that could arise from the USPS change, H&R Block tax pros suggest:

• Mail your return at least three to five business days before the April 15 deadline to ensure it’s on time.
• Stand in line at the local post office to get a hand-stamped postmark for your return. “Manual postmarks will be applied free of charge,” USPS said.
• File your tax return electronically by April 15. “Filing electronically is the safest, fastest, and most accurate way to file your tax return,” according to the Taxpayer Advocate, an independent organization within the IRS that serves taxpayers.
• File for an extension if you’re in danger of missing the deadline. An extension must be submitted by April 15, so you can have until Oct. 15 to file your taxes. But it’s important to note that an extension is an extension to file and not an extension to pay. If you think you owe tax, send a payment by April 15 or face penalties on the amount owed.

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mailing a tax return? Your deadline may be as early as April 9

Reporting by Medora Lee, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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