Can I file my taxes on April 15? Florida hurricane victims get an extension. What to know
Last year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that tax deadlines for some taxpayers in the 51 counties under a state of emergency during Hurricane Milton would automatically be pushed back to May 1, 2025.
Combined with previous tax relief provided for taxpayers in counties affected by Hurricanes Debby and Helene, that means "affected taxpayers in all of Florida now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments," the IRS said in a release.
Here's what to know about filing taxes or an extension today and who qualifies for an automatic extension in Florida this year.
Yes. The last day to file your taxes (or for an extension) is today Tuesday, April 15, 2025. The last day to file taxes is called Tax Day, and it always falls on April 15, unless it's a weekend or holiday.
Those in Florida affected by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in 2024 may have an extra couple of weeks to file, according to the IRS.
If you know you can't file by the deadline today and weren't affected by last year's hurricanes, you can request a six-month extension to avoid any penalties and interest.
Time's running out: How to file an extension for your 2024 income tax return
Taxpayers affected by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, including:
2024 individual and business returns normally due during March and April 2025
2023 individual and corporate returns with valid extensions and quarterly estimated tax payments
"Certain deadlines falling on or after Oct. 5, 2024, and before May 1, 2025, are granted additional time to file through May 1, 2025," the IRS says.
"As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until May 1, 2025, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period."
, these are the counties where taxpayers could be eligible for the automatic extension:
Alachua
Baker
Bradford
Brevard
Broward
Charlotte
Citrus
Clay
Collier
Columbia
DeSoto
Dixie
Duval
Flagler
Gilchrist
Glades
Hamilton
Hardee
Hendry
Hernando
Highlands
Hillsborough
Indian River
Lafayette
Lake
Lee
Levy
Madison
Manatee
Marion
Martin
Miami-Dade
Monroe
Nassau
Okeechobee
Orange
Osceola
Palm Beach
Pasco
Pinellas
Polk
Putnam
Sarasota
Seminole
St. Johns
St. Lucie
Sumter
Suwannee
Taylor
Union
Volusia
Here's a list of some tax forms you might need to fill out and what each of them are:
Form 1040: If you're using a tax filing service, like the IRS's Free File service, they'll have this form ready for you to fill out when the time comes. If you're doing your taxes on your own, you'll need to get a Form 1040 yourself from your library, or you can print it from the IRS's website.
W-2: If you work for an employer, they should give or mail your W-2 to you by the end of January. This form shows how much you earned last year and how much of what you made was deducted for taxes or other withholdings.
1099-NEC: This 1099 form is only applicable to you if you did freelance or contract work in 2023.
1099-K: If you're a gig worker for a business like Uber, Lyft or Airbnb, you will probably use this form. This 1099 form is for reporting income that you received through third-parties, like payments through PayPal, debit cards or credit card processors.
Other 1099 forms: If you earned interest from savings or investments, you might get a 1099-INT form. You could also get a 1099-DIV form, which tracks investment dividends and distributions. If you get a 1099-C form, you had $600 or more in debt that was canceled.
1098-E: This form tracks tax-deductible student loan interest payments over $600 and allows you to deduct up to $2,500 of interest on your student loans. If you paid less than $600, you may not receive a 1098-E, but if you find out what amount of interest you paid, you can still deduct it.
1098-T: The 1098-T is used for educational tax credits and deductions. It reports payments received for tuition and education expenses. You'll also need to include scholarships or grants. If you need to fill this out, your school will send it to you or have it available in your student portal.
New for the 2025 filing season, the IRS will accept Forms 1040, 1040-NR and 1040-SS, even if a dependent has already been claimed on a previously filed return, as long as the primary taxpayer on the second return includes a valid IP PIN.
The IRS said this change will reduce the time it takes for the agency to receive the tax return and accelerate the issuance of tax refunds for those with duplicate dependent returns.
Taxpayers who received more than $5,000 in payments for goods and services through an online marketplace or payment app in 2024 should expect to receive a Form 1099-K PDF in January 2025. A copy of this form will be sent to the IRS, as well.
The IRS said that while it is taking a phased in approach to implementation of the Form 1099-K reporting threshold, there have been no changes to the taxability of income.
To track your refund, you can use the IRS's "Where's my refund?" search tool or use the IRS2GO mobile app.
If you filed an amended return, the IRS has a different search tool for tracking amended returns.
You'll need your Social Security number or individual taxpayer ID number, your filing status and the exact refund amount on your return.
Here's what your tax return status means:
Return Received: Your return has been received and is being processed.
Refund Approved: Your refund has been approved and will be issued by the date shown.
Refund Sent: We sent the refund to your bank or as a check in the mail.
According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, 'Assuming no issues, IRS issues tax refunds in less than 21 calendar days after the IRS receives the tax return.' But if you chose direct deposit, you could get it sooner.
You can file for an extension if you haven't filed by April 15, but there are penalties to filing your taxes late. The Failure to File penalty applies if you don't file your tax return by the due date.
The IRS calculates the penalty as 5% of the unpaid taxes for each month or part of a month that a tax return is late. The penalty won't exceed 25% of your unpaid taxes.
If you're more than 60 days late to file your return, the Failure to File penalty ranges from $100 to $485.
You can file for an extension through the IRS-approved filing services, like the IRS's Free File, 1040.com and TurboTax, which all give prompts to ask if you'd like to file taxes or file for an extension.
"Taxpayers that request an extension by the April 15 tax filing due date will have until Oct. 15 to file without penalties," the IRS says.
"An extension gives extra time to file, but it does not give taxpayers extra time to pay if they owe. Taxpayers are obligated to pay taxes due on April 15, 2025, to avoid penalties and interest."
Here are , which needs to be completed by today, Tuesday, April 15, according to the IRS:
Pay online: "Pay what you owe using an online payment option and check the box that you are paying as part of filing for an extension. You don't have to file a separate extension form and you'll receive a confirmation number of your extension for your records."
Use Free File (no income limit for extensions): "Use IRS Free File to electronically request an automatic tax-filing extension."
Request an extension by mail (must be postmarked by April 15): "File Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You can file by mail, online with an IRS e-filing partner or through a tax professional. Estimate how much tax you owe for the year on the extension form: Subtract the taxes you already paid for the filing year."
That depends on how you filed.
The IRS will post your return status:
24 hours after you e-file a current-year return
3 or 4 days after you e-file a prior-year return
4 weeks after you file a paper return
The IRS updates this information once a day, overnight.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Tax Day 2025: Deadlines and Florida extensions. What to know
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