There are important 2017 tax deadlines to be aware of. The 2017 tax filing season will begin on Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, and taxpayers claiming certain tax credits should expect a longer wait for federal refunds.

The IRS will begin accepting electronic tax returns on January 23, 2017, and expects more than 80% of the anticipated 153 million individual tax returns to be prepared electronically in 2017.

Although the IRS will begin processing paper tax returns at the same time, it has stated that there is no advantage to filing tax returns on paper in early January instead of waiting for the IRS to begin accepting e-filed returns.

The IRS is required by law to hold refunds from taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until Feb. 15, 2017. Additionally, the IRS anticipates that it will take several days for these refunds to be released and processed through financial institutions, and expects many affected taxpayers may not to receive their refunds until the week of February 27, 2017, assuming the returns are filed on January 23, 2017.

Filing Due Date – April 18, 2017 (Federal and NYS)

The filing deadline to submit 2016 tax returns (or extension requests) is Tuesday, April 18, 2017, instead of the typical April 15 date. This year April 15 falls on a Saturday, which would usually push the filing deadline to the following Monday (April 17, 2017). However, Emancipation Day—a legal holiday in the District of Columbia—will be observed on April 17, 2017, which pushes the nation’s filing deadline to Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

Under the tax law, legal holidays in the District of Columbia affect the filing deadline across the nation. New York State acknowledges this deadline and requires filing by April 18, 2017 as well.

This results in a few extra days of tax preparation for those last-minute filers.

Tax Form Due Dates –

Note: If any due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the return or statement is considered timely if filed or furnished on the next business day.