April 15th, the calendar says, is the deadline for filing federal income taxes.
For some, maybe, but for most it isn’t.
The deadline really applies only to those who owe taxes. If you have a refund coming, you can file late without a penalty. Many do.
If you didn’t make enough last year to file a return, you don’t have to do a thing except struggle to live on an income that is too low to owe anything to Uncle Sam.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, about three-quarters of those who need to file income tax forms have money coming back.
So they can file now and get a refund sooner than later, or they can file later and let the government have use of their funds without paying interest.
If you owe money to the government, you can file for an extension until August 15 but you will have to submit what you think you owe with the request.
Confusing? Of course it is. It’s taxes.