To figure the tax deadline in any year, the starting point is April 15.  If April 15 falls on a Sunday then the tax deadline is Monday April 16.  That’s because there is no Post Office pickup on Sundays.

Now, since 2005 there is a new factor in figuring out just when your federal income tax returns are due: Emancipation Day.

Emancipation Day is a Washington, D.C. holiday only.  It’s not a Federal holiday.  But why then does it affect us nationally?  The IRS treats District of Columbia holidays as those which affect  tax deadlines.

The nation’s capital celebrates Emancipation Day to celebrate the end of slavery there, which happened in 1862 when Abraham Lincoln signed 3100 slaves into freedom on April 16, a whole eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation.

If you choose to file and Extension to File your taxes, you will have until October 15, NOT until October 17.  It’s not a full six months.  And always remember, an extension to file is NOT an extension to pay.  If you owe the IRS taxes, then you still have to pay them by April 17, 2012 this year. The extension gives you more time on your tax deadline but not on your payment deadline.