Believe it or not, it’s already time to start thinking about filing your 2011 tax return. By now you should have received your W-2 form(s), a variety of 1099 forms, etc.
With that in mind, I thought I would give you a little information on when your 2011 federal income tax return is due. As you’re likely aware, the filing deadline is “normally” April 15th of each year. But when the deadline falls on a weekend, it’s pushed to the following Monday. And when the deadline falls on a federal holiday, it’s pushed to the next business.
This year, like last year is one of those exceptional cases when it comes to your tax return deadlines. This time around, April 15th falls on a Sunday, and Monday is not a federal holiday. And yet, your taxes are due on Tuesday, April 17th. Why?
The funny date is due to a April 16th being Emancipation Day, which is a holiday in Washington, D.C. Emancipation Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act by President Lincoln in 1862, which freed the slaves in the District of Columbia.
Emancipation Day has been an official public holiday in D.C. since 2005, and it’s been responsible for shifting the 2006 and 2010 tax filing deadlines (in 2007 and 2011, respectively).
Additionally, you also get one more day than you might otherwise think this year — 2012 is a Leap Year, which means that February has an extra day. So what is the moral of this story? No one has any excuses for missing the tax filing deadline this time around!