When exactly is the tax deadline - April 15, 11:59pm or April 15, midnight?
So I'm literally in the 11th hour of doing my taxes, as usual. I've been putting this off for weeks (story of my life lol) and I just realized I don't even know EXACTLY when the cutoff is. Is the deadline technically the end of April 15, so I have until 11:59pm on the 15th to hit submit? Or does it actually mean midnight going into April 15, which would mean the deadline is really the end of April 14? I know I should've done this weeks ago, but here we are. I'm about 75% through my return and just want to know if I can finish tomorrow after work or if I need to pull an all-nighter tonight. Thanks for any clarity!
19 comments
Join the conversation
Sofia Gomez
The tax filing deadline is 11:59 PM on April 15, 2025. You have until the end of the day on April 15 to file your return or request an extension. This means you have all day on the 15th to complete your return. The IRS considers a return as filed on time if it's submitted electronically before midnight on the due date according to your local time zone. If you're mailing a paper return, it needs to be postmarked by April 15. If you think you might not finish in time, remember you can always file for an extension using Form 4868, which gives you until October 15 to file. However, an extension to file is not an extension to pay - any taxes owed are still due by April 15 to avoid penalties and interest.
0 coins
StormChaser
•Thanks for the clarification! So if I'm e-filing, do I need to worry about time zones? Like if I'm in California but the IRS is on Eastern time, which deadline applies to me?
0 coins
Sofia Gomez
•You follow your local time zone when determining the filing deadline. So if you're in California, you have until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on April 15 to e-file your return. The IRS systems account for the different time zones across the country. For paper returns, the postmark date is what matters, not the time. As long as your envelope is postmarked April 15, your return is considered filed on time regardless of when it actually reaches the IRS processing center.
0 coins
Dmitry Petrov
After spending hours on the phone with the IRS last year about a similar deadline question, I found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much hassle this year. I was confused about filing deadlines because I had some self-employment income along with my regular job, and their AI analyzed all my documents and gave me personalized filing information. The system actually scanned my tax documents and highlighted the exact deadline requirements for my specific situation, including state-specific deadlines I didn't even know applied to me. It was way more efficient than waiting on hold with the IRS for hours.
0 coins
Ava Williams
•How does it work with complicated situations? I have income from three different states this year and I'm worried about missing something important.
0 coins
Miguel Castro
•Sounds interesting but can it actually help with tax law questions or is it just for document organization? I've been burned by "AI tax help" before that just gave generic advice.
0 coins
Dmitry Petrov
•It handles multi-state returns really well actually. You upload your documents and it automatically identifies which states you need to file in and explains the specific requirements for each one. It detected that I had income from both California and Nevada that I'd almost forgotten about. For tax law questions, it's surprisingly detailed. It doesn't just organize documents - it extracts the information, analyzes your specific situation, and provides personalized advice based on current tax laws. It cited specific IRS publications when answering my questions about home office deductions that saved me about $1,200 this year.
0 coins
Miguel Castro
Just wanted to update after trying out taxr.ai that I mentioned above. I was skeptical but it actually answered my complex multi-state filing questions in seconds. I uploaded my W-2s from different states and it immediately flagged that one of my employers hadn't withheld enough state tax. Saved me from what would've been a nasty surprise later! The deadline explanations were crystal clear - it even has a countdown timer showing exactly how much time you have left based on your location. Now I know for sure I have until 11:59pm on the 15th in my time zone. Worth checking out if you're confused about deadlines or have any tax document questions.
0 coins
Zainab Ibrahim
Speaking of tax deadlines... after trying to call the IRS for THREE DAYS straight last year with questions about my late filing penalties, I finally found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes when I had been failing for days. Check out their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was literally about to miss another deadline because I couldn't get clarification on my payment plan, but they got me through to someone who answered all my questions about the exact time my payment needed to be received. Saved me from another penalty!
0 coins
Connor O'Neill
•How exactly does this work? Do they have some special IRS phone number or something? I've been on hold for hours and keep getting disconnected.
0 coins
LunarEclipse
•Yeah right, sounds too good to be true. The IRS literally doesn't answer phones during tax season. There's no way this actually works - it's probably just adding you to the same queue everyone else is in.
0 coins
Zainab Ibrahim
•They don't use a special number - they use technology that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they reach a live agent, you get a call connecting you directly. It's basically like having someone wait on hold instead of you. It absolutely works. I was skeptical too until I tried it. They got me through to the IRS collections department when I had been trying for days on my own. The difference is their system knows exactly which options to select in the phone tree and can wait on hold indefinitely, which most of us don't have time to do.
0 coins
LunarEclipse
I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment yesterday, I was still stuck on my IRS issue and decided "what the hell" and tried it. IT ACTUALLY WORKED. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 22 minutes when I'd wasted HOURS trying on my own. The agent confirmed that I have until 11:59pm local time on April 15th to file electronically, and they also helped me with a payment issue from last year that had been stressing me out for months. Can't believe I spent so much time trying to get through on my own when this service exists.
0 coins
Yara Khalil
Former tax preparer here - just to add another clarification about the April 15 deadline: if you owe money and can't pay the full amount, still file on time! The penalty for filing late (5% per month up to 25% of unpaid taxes) is much worse than the penalty for paying late (0.5% per month up to 25%). And if you're getting a refund, there's actually no penalty for filing late, though you generally only have 3 years to claim your refund. But why wait for money that's yours?
0 coins
Keisha Brown
•What about if I know I need to file an extension? Does that need to be done by 11:59pm on the 15th too? And is there any downside to filing an extension?
0 coins
Yara Khalil
•Yes, the extension request (Form 4868) must also be filed by 11:59pm local time on April 15th. Electronic is best because you get immediate confirmation. The main downside to an extension is that it only extends the time to file your paperwork, not to pay what you owe. You still need to estimate what you might owe and pay that by April 15th to avoid penalties and interest. If you're getting a refund, there's no downside at all to filing an extension. And having an extension actually slightly reduces your audit risk according to some statistics, though that shouldn't be your main reason for filing one.
0 coins
Paolo Esposito
Another thing that confuses people - if you e-file, you get confirmation right away, but if you mail your return, the POSTMARK date is what counts, not when the IRS receives it. So if you're mailing on April 15th, make sure to go to the post office and get it postmarked that day!
0 coins
Amina Toure
•This saved me last year! My local post office has a self-service kiosk that's open until midnight, and the postmark from that counts as official. Double check your local post office hours if you're cutting it close.
0 coins
Paolo Esposito
•Great tip about the self-service kiosk! Not all post offices have them though, so definitely check ahead of time. And remember that private delivery services like FedEx or UPS can also be used, but the IRS only accepts certain types of delivery services as "timely filed" - there's an official list on the IRS website. One more thing: if you're mailing a payment with your return or extension, use Form 1040-V for the payment. Makes processing faster and ensures your payment gets properly credited to your account.
0 coins