e-file submitted at 11:23pm (MY Time zone) on 04/15... did I miss the deadline?

The good news is you should be fine! The IRS considers a return filed on time if it's submitted before midnight in your local time zone on the filing deadline. For the 2024 tax year (filing in 2025), that deadline was April 15th. The date showing on your confirmation (April 16th) could mean a couple of things: either the tax preparation service is using Eastern Time for their timestamps, or there was some processing delay between when you submitted and when their system generated the confirmation. Neither of these should affect your filing status with the IRS. What matters most is the electronic timestamp of when your return was actually transmitted to the IRS, not the confirmation page date. Your tax preparation service should provide a more detailed filing status that shows the actual transmission time to the IRS.

I went through almost the exact same panic attack last year! After spending hours trying to get through to the IRS with no luck, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped clear things up. You upload your filing confirmation and they can analyze the actual submission timestamp that matters to the IRS. I was in Mountain time zone and my confirmation showed the next day too, but taxr.ai showed me that my actual IRS submission timestamp was correct and within my local deadline. Their system can read all those technical details in your confirmation that most of us don't understand. Seriously saved me from weeks of stress wondering if I'd have penalties.

I was definitely wrong about taxr.ai! After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it since I was in a similar situation (filed right before midnight Pacific time). Within minutes of uploading my confirmation, I could see that my submission was actually timestamped 11:48pm my local time, even though the confirmation page showed the next day. They highlighted the actual IRS submission timestamp buried in the confirmation details and explained exactly how the IRS would interpret it. Completely put my mind at ease. They even showed me where to look for the acceptance notification when it comes through. Wish I'd known about this service years ago instead of spending days worrying about these kinds of timing issues.

If you're still worried and want absolute confirmation from the IRS, good luck getting through to them right now. Last year I spent 4 days trying to reach someone about a similar deadline issue. Finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 45 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically they navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they've got an agent on the line. The agent confirmed that they use your local time zone for determining if you filed by the deadline. Turns out I was fine even though my confirmation showed the next day. If you're really stressing about it, this is definitely the fastest way to get an official answer straight from the IRS.

I need to publicly eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to confirm my filing status, so I gave Claimyr a shot. I honestly expected nothing, but about 35 minutes after signing up, my phone rang and there was an actual IRS agent on the line! I explained my situation about filing right before midnight in my time zone with a next-day confirmation, and the agent was able to look up my return in their system and confirm it was recorded as filed on April 15th. She explained that they use the electronic timestamp from your local time zone, not the confirmation page date. Seriously one of the most useful services I've ever used during tax season. Would have spent weeks wondering and worrying otherwise.

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned this, but most tax software actually uses Eastern Time for their timestamps regardless of where you are. So if you're in Pacific, your 11:23pm is actually 2:23am Eastern the next day. This is what likely happened in your case. HOWEVER, the IRS has clearly stated they honor your local time zone for the deadline. So as long as you hit submit before midnight in Pacific time, you're good regardless of what the confirmation shows. The time that matters is when you hit submit, not when their server processed it.

Anyone else remember the old days when we had to actually mail paper returns with a postmark by midnight? I once drove to the post office at 11:45pm on April 15th and there was a line of cars around the block! Now we're all stressing about electronic timestamps lol.

Don't panic! You're almost certainly fine. The IRS uses your local time zone for the filing deadline, so if you submitted at 11:23pm Pacific Time on April 15th, you made the deadline with 37 minutes to spare. The April 16th date on your confirmation is likely just because the tax prep service's servers are running on Eastern Time (where it was already past midnight when you filed). What matters to the IRS is the actual electronic submission timestamp with your local time zone info, not what's displayed on the confirmation page. If you want peace of mind, you can check your "Where's My Refund" status on the IRS website in a few days - once it shows up there, you'll know your return was accepted and processed normally. But based on what you've described, you should be all set!