IRS to reportedly delay tax filing deadline by a month

1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return form

(Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

published 17 March 2021

Taxpayers will reportedly have a bit more time to file their returns this year amid a "massive" backlog at the Internal Revenue Service.

The IRS is planning to delay this year's tax filing deadline about a month from April 15 to the middle of May, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. While Bloomberg wrote that plans have not been finalized and the IRS is considering making the new deadline either May 15 or May 17, The Washington Post reported the new date will be May 15.

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Lawmakers also noted that the 2020 tax filing season began later than usual and that the IRS is "struggling to address taxpayer issues, with the agency reporting that it is answering only 1 out of 4 telephone calls." The Post also reports that the IRS is facing "a massive backlog that has left it unable to fully process" about 24 million tax filings, and delays have "kept some Americans from receiving their tax refunds for months."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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