Last year, when the coronavirus outbreak first hit hard, the IRS was quick to respond by postponing the 2020 tax-filing deadline from April 15 to July 15. At a time when so many people were losing their jobs and dealing with so much financial and health-related uncertainty, that reprieve couldn't have come at a better time.
This year, the IRS initially insisted it would hold firm on the standard April 15 tax deadline. But recently, lawmakers passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that includes a number of tax changes, including a federal tax exemption on unemployment benefits. To allow tax preparers ample time to deal with these very recent changes, the IRS has agreed to move this year's filing deadline back a month, with a new deadline of May 17. To be clear, that means filers get another month to not only submit their returns, but pay any tax debts associated with them.
Maurie Backman | USA Today