Every 2025 Tax Deadline You Need to Know

The April 15 federal tax-filing deadline is well-known, but there are other key tax deadlines and important dates to know throughout the year.

Mark the following 11 tax dates on your calendar to help avoid penalties and take advantage of savings opportunities:

1. Jan. 27: The IRS Starts Accepting 2024 Returns

The IRS begins accepting tax year 2024 returns on Jan. 27, 2025. Wait until you receive your W-2s, 1099s and other forms reporting earnings and other income before filing your taxes. Employers and other payers must send most of these forms by Jan. 31, although brokerage firms have until Feb. 15 to send some 1099 forms.

You don’t need to wait until Jan. 27 to get started. IRS Free File has been available since Jan. 10 and many tax software companies will also accept electronic submissions early and hold them until the IRS begins processing returns.

The earlier you file your tax return, the sooner you can get a refund. You can check on the status of your refund using the IRS’s “Where’s My Refund?” tool. Filing your tax return early can also reduce the chances that an identity thief will claim your refund before you do.

[Trump Has Promised to Lower Taxes: Will It Actually Make You More Money?]

2. April 1: Take Your First Required Minimum Distribution

Most people 73 and older have to take required minimum distributions from their traditional IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred retirement plans by Dec. 31 each year, but their first RMD can be delayed until April 1 of the year after they turn 73.

There is one exception: If you’re still working at age 73 and own up to 5% of the company, you can delay taking your RMD from your current employer’s 401(k) or other eligible retirement plan while you’re working in that job. If you stopped working in 2024, you have until April 1, 2025, to take your first RMD from that employer’s retirement plan, says Tim Steffen, director of advanced planning for wealth management firm Baird.

You’ll need to take your second RMD by Dec. 31, 2025. You can delay taking RMDs past age 73 only from your current employer’s retirement plan; this rule doesn’t apply to IRAs.

Keep in mind that if you delay taking that first RMD to April 1 of the following year, you’ll also have to take your second RMD by Dec. 31 of the same year, which could bump you into next income-tax bracket or make you subject to the Medicare high-income surcharge, depending on your other income.

Calculate the impact on your total tax liability before deciding whether to take two RMDs in the same year.

3. April 15: Federal Income Tax Returns Due

Federal income tax returns are due on April 15 for most people. Some people in areas affected by natural disasters may have a later deadline. The deadlines for quarterly tax payments may also be affected by natural disasters. See the IRS’s tax relief in disaster situations list for specifics by county and state.

[What to Know About Taxes After a Disaster]

If you can’t make the deadline, you can file Form 4868 by April 15 to receive an extension to file the return by Oct. 15.

“You may file an application for an automatic six-month extension to file,” Steffen says. “But this is not an extension to pay.” Even if you have until Oct. 15 to file your return, you need to estimate how much you owe and make a payment by April 15 — or else you could end up with a penalty.

“If taxpayers need more time to pay, they can apply for long and short-term payment plans provided by the IRS,” says Brittany Benson, lead tax research analyst at the Tax Institute at H&R Block. For more information, see the IRS’s Apply Online for a Payment Plan.

Most state income tax returns are due by April 15, too, but some have a different deadline — such as May 1 for Virginia. See your state department of revenue for the deadline in your state.

4. April 15: Deadline for 2024 IRA and HSA Contributions

You have until April 15, 2025, to contribute up to $7,000 to an IRA for 2024 (or $8,000 if you were 50 or older in 2024).

You can contribute to a traditional IRA, which grows tax-deferred and may be tax-deductible depending on your income and whether you are covered by a retirement plan at work.

Or you can contribute to a Roth IRA if your modified adjusted gross income was less than $161,000 in 2024 if you’re single, or less than $240,000 if married filing jointly. You won’t get a current tax break by contributing to the Roth, but you can withdraw the earnings tax-free after age 59 1/2, as long as you’ve had the Roth IRA for at least five years.

If your spouse didn’t earn income in 2024 but you did, you can also contribute to a spousal IRA in his or her name, which can be either a traditional or Roth IRA.

You also have until April 15 to contribute to a health savings account, or HSA, for 2024. To qualify, you must have had an HSA-eligible health insurance policy with a deductible of at least $1,600 for self-only coverage or $3,200 for family coverage.

You can contribute up to $4,150 to the HSA if you had self-only coverage or $8,300 for family coverage — plus an extra $1,000 if you were 55 or older in 2024. If you only had an HSA-eligible policy for part of the year, your contributions may be pro-rated based on the number of months you had the eligible policy.

Contributing to an HSA can give you a triple tax break: Your contributions are tax deductible, they grow tax-deferred and you can withdraw them tax-free for eligible medical expenses in any year.

5. April 15: First Quarter Estimated Tax Payments Due

There’s another deadline on April 15: estimated tax payments for the first quarter of 2025.

If you earn income that isn’t subject to federal tax withholding — such as from self-employment, rental property or investments — you need to find another way to pay the IRS during the year. You can increase withholding from other income, such as if you have another job, or you can make quarterly tax payments.

“The IRS expects that you will make estimated tax payments if your tax due after credits and withholding taxes is $1,000 or more,” says Mary Kay Foss, a certified public accountant in Carlsbad, California. Taxes are due as the money is earned, and you could end up with a penalty if you wait until you file your return to pay the full amount.

Estimate how much you owe in taxes for money you earned from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2025, that wasn’t subject to withholding. The worksheet in IRS Publication 505 can help. Then submit Form 1040-ES with your payment.

You don’t need to be precise, but you’ll want to pay enough to try to avoid an underpayment penalty. Benson says individuals who expect to owe at least $1,000 in tax for the current year and have withholding less than the smaller of the following should consider filing quarterly taxes:

— 90% of the tax shown on the current tax return, or

— 100% of the tax shown on the prior year’s return (110% if your adjusted gross income was more than $150,000; or more than $75,000 if married filing separately).

6. June 16: Second Quarter Estimated Tax Payments Due

Your second estimated tax payment is due on June 16, 2025, which can be confusing since it’s just two months after the first quarter due date. This estimated payment is for taxes on money you earned from April 1 through May 31.

The deadline is usually June 15, but it’s June 16 in 2025 because that date falls on a weekend.

7. Sep. 15: Third Quarter Estimated Taxes Due

The third estimated tax payment is due on Sept. 15, 2025. This is for taxes on money you earned from June 1 through Aug. 31.

8. Oct. 15: Extended Tax Returns Due for 2024

If you filed for an extension, your tax return will be due on Oct. 15. Remember: Money you owed was due on April 15 and you may have a penalty if you did not pay enough by that deadline. Estimate and pay your tax bill when you file for the extension in April.

9. Dec. 31: Required Minimum Distributions Due

You have to take required minimum distributions from your tax-deferred retirement savings accounts — such as traditional IRAs and 401(k)s — by Dec. 31 every year starting at age 73. There are special rules for the year you turn 73.

The amount you must withdraw is based on the life expectancy table for your age and the balance in your account by Dec. 31 of the previous year. Most people can use Table III, the uniform lifetime table, in the appendix of IRS Publication 590-B to calculate the required amount. Your retirement plan administrator can help with the calculations.

You can usually delay taking your first RMD to April 1 of the following year, but after that you need to take your RMDs by Dec. 31 each year. For example, people who turn 73 in 2025 have until April 1, 2026, to take their first RMD, but then they have to take their next RMD by Dec. 31, 2026, and subsequent RMDs by the end of each year.

You don’t have to take RMDs from Roth IRAs. In the past, you had to take RMDs from Roth 401(k)s, even though you didn’t have to pay taxes on those withdrawals. But starting in 2024, you don’t have to take RMDs from any Roth accounts, Steffen says.

[READ: What to Know About Changes to IRA Required Minimum Distributions for 2025]

10. Dec. 31: 529 Contributions Due in Most States

Many states let you take an income-tax deduction for making contributions to a 529 college savings plan. In most states, the deadline is Dec. 31 for the contribution to count for that tax year, says Mark Kantrowitz, author of “How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid.

However, he adds, the deadline is April 15, 2026, for 2025 contributions in Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin, and April 30 in Iowa.

11. Jan. 15, 2026: Estimated Fourth Quarter Taxes Due

Quarterly estimated taxes are due by Jan. 15, 2026, for money earned from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. If you’re self-employed or don’t have taxes withheld from rental, investment or other income, you may need to make quarterly tax payments.

Also, keep this tax deadline in mind if you took large withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement savings in the last quarter of the year and didn’t have taxes withheld from your distribution.

More from U.S. News

Taxpayers in 24 States Will Be Able to File Their Returns Directly With the IRS in 2025

7 Tax Rules to Know if You Give or Receive Cash

Guide to Deductions for Charitable Donations

Every 2025 Tax Deadline You Need to Know originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 01/27/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up