IRS pushes back tax filing deadline to May 17

Americans won’t need to finish their income tax paperwork this year until May 17. The IRS is pushing back the 2021 federal filing deadline from its traditional date of April 15.

Why? The agency has been behind schedule getting the tax season started and faces additional changes due to the latest COVID-19 relief package. While direct payments hit Americans’ bank account this week, other forms of relief will apply to tax returns, such as an increase in the child tax credit. 

“This extension is absolutely necessary to give Americans some needed flexibility in a time of unprecedented crisis,” a statement from members of the House Ways and Means Committee said.

Last year, the IRS delayed the federal income tax deadline into July to give people more time during the COVID-19 pandemic.