Did you get your (USA) tax returns sent in on time?

[ChrissyRyan]

Did you get your (USA) tax returns sent in on time?


Chrissy

[Dawn Kellie]

We filed an extension. My wife had lost some information and is trying to get new copies.

[Maid Marion]

I filed early to figure out my tax strategy for the coming year.  They now have a hard cliff for low cost health insurance if retired and younger than 65.  Last year there was a phase-in so you could go over the threshold by a little and not see a big increase in cost.

[Tig58072]

I have to have mine done by March 2. I hate book keeping so bad. 😡

[Northern Star Girl ✅]

YES, of course I filed my Federal Tax Return filed on time along with dozens of my clients. 

Now that the due date has come and gone I am now dealing with my clients that have been filing extensions and have back-taxes to file and pay.

Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

[ChrissyRyan]

This is such a taxing matter!

[ChrissyRyan]

While it always is nice to get a refund I think they should not be too big because if so, you have given the government a loan, effectively at your own expense (as you may have been able to have risk free invested the funds) and free to the government.

[Dawn Kellie]

If you owe the government they assign interest. If the owe you, you may get it all back with no interest

[Lori Dee ✅]

I stopped paying taxes a long time ago.

I helped my friend in his accounting office during tax season. He had a sign on the wall in the waiting area:

It's ours.
Not theIRS!

One of my favorite quotes comes from an Appellate Court Judge Learned Hand:

"Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes. Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands."

Learned Hand

He also said:

"In America, there are two tax systems: one for the informed and one for the uninformed. Both are legal."

[Rochelle]

I filed 1/23/2026 and it was accepted 1/26/2026 first day they started accepting.  💚

[ChrissyRyan]

This year the U.S. Postal Service changed their postmarking rule.

So it is possible to get the postal mailing (if you do not file electronically)
at the post office on the tax return due date but the date of postmarking is not until the mail gets processed by machines.  Plus many local post offices do not postmark envelopes there.

One way around it is to get postage dated on the tax due date when you drop off the tax returns on the tax due date.  Some post offices have machines to buy the postage and the date is printed on the postage/mailing label.

I would not wait so long and get the filing done no later than a day or so earlier, or file electronically.