IRS Stands Firm on July 15 Tax Deadline for 2019 Returns

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Internal Revenue Service announced Monday that it was sticking with the July 15 tax-filing extension deadline for 2019 returns.

Those unable to meet that deadline are encouraged to file for an extension to Oct. 15. The form for filing for an extension is at IRS.gov.

The IRS had postponed the original tax filing deadline from April 15 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states may have initiated different deadlines. USA Today has compiled a list of those tax deadline extensions, broken out by state.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had hinted at extending the July 15 tax deadline to September. But Monday’s announcement confirmed that the date would not be changed and remain July 15.

As of June 12, the IRS says it has received 136.5 million individual income tax returns, down from more than 144 million a year ago.

About 93 million filers have received refunds, averaging $2,763, the IRS notes.

Nevertheless, “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. “These easy-to-use payment options are available on IRS.gov, and most can be done automatically without reaching out to an IRS representative.”