Why is Tax Day on April 18th This Year?
Usually, Tax Day in the U.S. is on April 15th. However there are a couple of exceptions to that rule -- and both apply in 2023.
According to the Library of Congress, April 15th has not always been the filing deadline. March 1st was the date specified by Congress in 1913, after the passage of the 16th amendment. In 1918 Congress set the date to March 15th, where it remained until the tax overhaul of 1954, when the date was again moved to April 15th.
So, why is Tax Day on Tuesday, April 18th in 2023?
When April 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, Tax Day is pushed to the following Monday. In 2023, April 15th was on Saturday which means today, April 17th should be Tax Day, right? Close, but no.
The second part of the law says that if the Monday following April 15th is a federal holiday, that Tax Day will be pushed once again, to Tuesday.
I before E except after C, unless the groundhog sees his shadow, which then moves the Fourth of July to the 7th (unless its cloudy, which then postpones Independence Day to Halloween). Or something like that.
Yesterday, Sunday, April 16, 2023, was Emancipation Day -- marking a federal holiday that recognizes the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia. Which, because yesterday was a Sunday, is officially being celebrated today, pushing 2023's Tax Day to tomorrow, Tuesday, April 18th.
The bottom line is that your 2022 federal and Minnesota income taxes need to be filed by midnight Tuesday night.
Things should be much simpler next year. In 2024, April 15th, and Tax Day will both fall on a Monday.
