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if i owe taxes when are they due

If you owe federal income taxes for the year, your payment is generally due on Tax Day , which is usually April 15 of the following year, even if you request an extension to file.

Key federal deadlines if you owe taxes

  • For your 2025 tax return (filed in 2026), the deadline to file and pay federal income tax is expected to be April 15, 2026, unless the IRS moves it for a weekend/holiday or disaster relief.
  • Filing an extension (Form 4868) only extends the time to file (typically to October 15). It does not extend the time to pay; any balance is still due by April 15 to avoid late-payment penalties and interest.
  • If you live in a federally declared disaster area, you may get extra time to file and pay; the IRS publishes specific relief dates for each disaster.

If you pay estimated taxes

If you don’t have enough tax withheld (self‑employed, gig work, investment income, etc.), you may need to make quarterly estimated tax payments during the year. For a typical year, those due dates are:

  • April 15 – for income earned Jan 1–Mar 31
  • June 15 – for income earned Apr 1–May 31
  • September 15 – for income earned Jun 1–Aug 31
  • January 15 of the following year – for income earned Sep 1–Dec 31 (you can skip this if you file your return and pay in full by January 31).

If you can’t pay in full

  • The IRS starts charging interest and penalties right after the payment due date (typically April 15) if you owe and don’t pay in full.
  • You may be able to get:
    • Up to about 120 days of extra time to fully pay under a short‑term payment arrangement, or
    • A longer‑term installment agreement to spread payments over time.

Quick example

Say you owe $2,000 for your 2025 federal taxes:

  • You must pay that $2,000 by around April 15, 2026, to avoid late-payment penalties and interest, even if you extend filing to October 15.
  • If you realize you’ll owe well before then and have self‑employment or other non‑withheld income, you may also need to make quarterly estimated payments for the current tax year on the April, June, September, and January dates.

Always double‑check the exact year’s Tax Day and any disaster‑area relief on the IRS site or with a tax pro, because specific dates can shift for weekends, holidays, or special IRS announcements.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.