April 15 is traditionally tax deadline day for the Internal Revenue Service. That’s not the case in 2022, however, and the change has to do with a holiday in the federal capital.

April 16 is Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C. The holiday commemorates the date in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, freeing 3,000 slaves in the D.C. area.

Because the April 16 holiday this year falls on a Saturday, it will officially be observed on the closest weekday – Friday, April 15 – closing city and federal offices in D.C.

That means the tax day deadline is getting pushed back to Monday, April 18 for everyone except residents of Maine and Massachusetts. Residents in those states must file by April 19 since April 18 is Patriots’ Day. April 18 will also be the deadline to request an automatic extension for an extra six months to file a return and for payment of taxes due.

Other deadlines

Employers have until Jan. 31 to send W-2 earnings forms.

The IRS has announced they will begin accepting 2021 returns between 1/24 and 1/31/22.

Last year, the IRS began accepting tax returns on Feb. 12, roughly two weeks later than the year before, a change the tax agency said was necessary due to the processing of stimulus payments.

Generally, about 90% of filers receive their refunds within 21 days when they file electronically and there are no issues with the return, the IRS said.