IRS, Treasury say tax filing deadline will stay at July 15

WASHINGTON (UPI) — The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service say the tax filing deadline won’t be extended beyond July 15.

The normal April 15 deadline was postponed to July to help taxpayers facing hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic. There have been some calls for another extension, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the agencies mulled delaying it until September.

“The IRS understands that those affected by the coronavirus may not be able to pay their balances in full by July 15, but we have many payment options to help taxpayers,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a statement Monday. “These easy-to-use payment options are available on IRS.gov, and most can be done automatically without reaching out to an IRS representative.”

Mnuchin and other officials encouraged taxpayers not ready to file to request an automatic extension, which will put off the due date until Oct. 15. Filers who expect to owe taxes, however, still must pay them by July 15 if they want to do so without penalty.

Some conservative groups and IRS union employees pushed for a deadline extension. Some say the deadline is still too soon, as the economy hasn’t yet improved enough. Some IRS workers say another delay would allow them to keep up distancing and other safety measures.

“After consulting with various external stakeholders, we have decided to have taxpayers request an extension if more time is needed,” Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin said he’s encouraged by the number of taxpayers who have already filed.

“Over 130 million taxpayers have filed returns and over 93 million refunds have been issued,” Mnuchin said. “I would encourage Americans to file their taxes as soon as possible, so those who are due refunds can receive them quickly.”

Reporting by Clyde Hughes