Tax season calendar for immigrant filers

One page with every date that matters — kept current automatically. The deadline, the extension, estimated payments for 1099 workers, and what to do if a date already passed.

📅 Your tax-year 2026 return is expected to be due April 15, 2027 — 217 days from now.

The IRS has not published a tax-year 2026 filing deadline. April 15, 2027 is the statutory date — the IRS says an individual return is generally due April 15, moved to the next business day when that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday — and October 15, 2027 is the automatic six-month extension of it. Both are expected dates, not announced ones.

The IRS usually opens e-filing in late January; the date for the 2027 season has not been announced yet.

Missed the April 15, 2026 deadline for tax year 2025? You can still file — and if you requested an extension, your new date is October 15, 2026 — see filing after the deadline.

Key federal dates

DateWhat's due
September 15, 2026Estimated tax payment — Third installment; payment period June 1–Aug. 31 (1099 / self-employed workers)
January 15, 2027Estimated tax payment — Final installment; payment period Sept. 1–Dec. 31 (1099 / self-employed workers)
April 15, 2027
(expected date)		Federal filing deadline for your tax-year 2026 return (and to pay what you owe)
October 15, 2027
(expected date)		Extension deadline (Form 4868 — extends filing, NOT payment)

The IRS has not yet published the tax-year 2026 deadlines; the dates marked expected are the statutory ones (April 15, plus the automatic six-month extension) and will be confirmed when the IRS announces them. Source: IRS. State deadlines usually match the federal date but vary — check your state tax agency.

The season, step by step

  1. Now → January: gather documents as they arrive (W-2 by January 31, 1099s, childcare and school records). If your ITIN needs renewal, do it before the season — renewals filed during the rush add weeks to your refund.
  2. Late January: the IRS opens e-filing. VITA free-help sites open in most cities.
  3. Mid-February: refunds that include the EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit start going out (the PATH Act holds them until then, even if you filed in January).
  4. April 15 (or next business day): federal deadline — to file and to pay. An extension moves the paperwork date, not the payment date.
  5. After the deadline: missed it? You can still file — and if you’re owed a refund, there is no late penalty at all.

Guides in this section