18 Dates and Deadlines to Know for Your Next Tax Return

Now that your 2022 tax return is hopefully behind you and we’re more than a quarter of the way through the 2023 tax year, it’s time to start planning for the next set of federal income tax deadlines.

Following is a heads-up on deadlines and other key dates for the 2023 tax year — the one for which your return is due by April 2024. Mark the deadlines that apply to you on your calendar now, so you don’t forget.

April 18, 2023

This is the deadline for individuals to:

• Pay the first installment of 2023 estimated taxes, which applies to the self-employed and other workers who earn income that isn’t subject to withholding. Use IRS Form 1040-ES to pay this tax.

June 15, 2023

This is the deadline for individuals to:

• Pay the second installment of 2023 estimated taxes, which applies to the self-employed and other workers who earn income that isn’t subject to withholding. Use IRS Form 1040-ES to pay this tax.

Sept. 15, 2023

This is the deadline for individuals to:

• Pay the third installment of 2023 estimated taxes, which applies to the self-employed and other workers who earn income that isn’t subject to withholding. Use IRS Form 1040-ES to pay this tax.

Dec. 31, 2023

This is the deadline for individuals to:

• Make 2023 tax-deductible donations to charity. Note that charitable contributions are generally an itemized deduction, meaning you cannot claim them if you take the standard deduction.
• Make 2023 contributions to most workplace retirement plans. These include 401(k) accounts.
• Spend money in health flexible spending accounts (FSAs). This deadline generally applies if the 2023 health insurance plan year ends Dec. 31. Employers are allowed — but not required — to offer a limited grace period or small carry-over.
• Take 2023 required minimum distributions (RMDs) from qualifying retirement accounts if they turned 72 or older prior to 2023. Note that the penalty for missing this deadline is one of the steepest the IRS levies, as we detail in “4 Tax Penalties That Can Ding Your Retirement Accounts.”

Jan. 16, 2024

This is the deadline for individuals to:

• Pay the fourth installment of 2023 estimated taxes, which applies to the self-employed and other workers who earn income that isn’t subject to withholding. Use IRS Form 1040-ES to pay this tax. One exception: Self-employed people who file their 2023 federal tax return by Jan. 31, 2024, and pay their entire balance due with that return do not have to pay their fourth installment by Jan. 16.

Mid- to late January 2024

This time of year is typically when the IRS:

• Opens Free File, which is one of several ways that eligible taxpayers can get their taxes done for free.
• Officially starts the tax season. The first day of the season is the earliest point at which individuals can submit their income tax returns to the IRS.

March 15, 2024

Generally, March 15 this is the deadline for small businesses (and any other type of entities) that are classified as partnerships to:

• File Form 1065: U.S. Return of Partnership Income. Unsure if this requirement applies to you? See the Form 1065 instructions for the IRS’ three-paragraph-long definition of “partnership.”

April 15, 2024 (presumably)

While the IRS has yet to announce the official date for the next Tax Day, it’s safe to assume it will be April 15, as that date falls on a weekday (Monday) rather than a weekend or holiday in 2024. That would mean April 15, 2024, is the deadline for individuals to:

• File their 2023 income tax return and pay any taxes you might owe for 2023, or
• Request an automatic extension for their 2023 tax return. Use Form 4868 to request this extension if you can’t file your return on time. Also, note that the extension applies only to filing: You still must pay any taxes you owe by Tax Day to avoid interest charges or penalties.

April 15 is also typically the deadline for individuals to:

• Make 2023 contributions to individual retirement accounts (IRAs). For the contribution limits, see “IRS Hikes Nearly All Retirement Account Thresholds for 2023.”
• Withdraw excess 2023 contributions to IRAs. Miss this deadline and you could be on the hook for a 6% penalty.
• Withdraw excess 2023 deferrals to 401(k) and certain other types of workplace retirement plans. Miss this deadline and you could essentially be taxed on the excess twice over.
• Make 2023 contributions to health savings accounts (HSAs). For contribution limits, see “IRS Increases Limits for This Tax-Free Account for 2023.”
• Make 2023 contributions to Archer medical savings accounts (MSAs). For contribution limits, see IRS Publication 969.