The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced late Monday that the July 15 tax-filing deadline, pushed back from April 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will not be postponed again. They said taxpayers who can’t meet the deadline can still file for an automatic extension until October 15 as usual, though that extension applies only to filing a return, not to paying any taxes due.
“After consulting with various external stakeholders, we have decided to have taxpayers request an extension if more time is needed,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. “I would encourage Americans to file their taxes as soon as possible, so those who are due refunds can receive them quickly.”
The IRS encouraged people who cannot pay in full, including those affected by Covid-19, to pay what they can now to avoid additional interest and penalties and explore other payment options available, including those on the IRS website, for the balance.
The IRS said that, as of June 19, it had received more than 138 million returns, down 4.4% from 2019, and had processed nearly 127 million of those filings, down 11.4% from last year. The number of refunds issued, more than 93 million, was down by nearly 11% while the total amount of those refunds — some $258 billion — was down about 10%.
