Last-Minute Extension for Federal and State Taxes: Deadline Now Nov. 16 for Most Californians

Update 7:20 p.m. Monday: The deadline to file and pay both federal and state taxes for almost all California counties has now been pushed back by a month, to Nov. 16 2023.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) earlier Monday issued this additional extension to the deadline for most Californians to file and pay their federal taxes. “As a result, most individuals and businesses in California will now have until Nov. 16 to file their 2022 returns and pay any tax due,” said the IRS statement — giving people in every county but Lassen, Modoc and Shasta counties an extra month to handle their federal taxes.

On Monday evening, with just hours to go until the original Oct. 16 deadline, the State of California Franchise Tax Board confirmed that the deadline to file and pay state taxes would also be extended to Nov. 16. So if you haven’t yet filed and paid your taxes, you don’t need to do anything to get these extensions, which are owing to the severe winter storms that hit the state earlier in the year.

Original story: If you live or own a business in the Bay Area, your deadline to file and pay both federal and state taxes was extended earlier this year, to Monday, Oct. 16.

Which now means that this new, extended deadline is right around the corner. And if you were one of many Californians who took advantage of the automatic extension for most counties in the state, you need to prepare your taxes ASAP.

Keep reading for what you need to know about the extension, who’s eligible, and about filing your taxes before the deadline.

Remind me: Why did the Bay Area get this tax deadline extension?

For most Americans, Tax Day this year still fell on April 18. But earlier this year, both federal and state tax deadlines were extended for the majority of California counties, including all nine Bay Area counties — because of the severe winter storms that hit the state from late December to early January.

The only California counties that didn’t get that extension are Lassen, Modoc and Shasta. And because the extension was granted automatically to everyone in the affected areas, there was no application to fill out: The IRS and the state of California knew where you lived or owned a business during the tax year, so they used that information to extend this relief to you.

Many Californians had their homes and belongings devastated by these storms and by the flooding, landslides, mudslides and evacuations they caused. A Los Angeles Times report estimated that this year’s winter storms have caused nearly $1 billion in damage. This extension was intended as a form of tax relief for the majority of Californians, in light of those severe weather events.

But you didn’t need to have been directly affected by the winter storms — as in, having your home or your documents damaged during a storm — to get this extension on your federal and state taxes, even though the storms were the reason for the extensions.

“As long as you lived or worked in one of the affected counties, you are eligible to take advantage of the extended deadline,” confirmed Amy Spivey, visiting assistant professor and clinic director for UC Law SF’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic. “You do not have to have been personally impacted by the flooding in order to receive the benefit of the extended filing and payment deadlines.” You won’t be asked to provide any evidence at the time of filing that you were affected by these storms, either.

See the three separate IRS announcements on the federal tax deadline extension that included the Bay Area, and the announcement from the California Franchise Tax Board on the state tax deadline extension for those California counties named in those IRS announcements.

The IRS also confirmed that if you live in one of the affected areas, you have until Oct. 16 to make 2022 contributions to your IRAs and health savings accounts.

Why might some people have chosen to take advantage of the extended deadline?

The big downside of not filing earlier, of course, is not getting any refund you’re owed earlier.

But, as UC Law’s Spivey notes, many folks won’t have been eligible for a refund this year, and would instead have owed payments to the IRS. And unlike a regular extension, this disaster extension on filing your federal and state taxes was also an extension on paying your taxes — which Spivey said she saw come as a welcome delay for some of the people coming to UC Law SF’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic back around the original filing deadline of April.

So “if you tried to file by April but maybe didn’t have the money to pay the tax bill, you won’t be incurring any penalties or interest as long as you pay by October 16th this year,” said Spivey. “For many folks, that actually ended up being a benefit if they owed, and weren’t able to pay their taxes by that deadline.”

Can I request another extension on filing or paying my taxes beyond Oct. 16?

No, unfortunately you can’t request another extension.

Oct. 16 is the final deadline for everyone in those affected California counties to file and pay their taxes.

I lived or worked in one of the eligible California counties but I still got a late notice from the IRS. What do I do?

The extensions on filing your federal and state taxes were wholly automatic, confirms UC Law’s Spivey —  you didn’t need to opt into them, or request the extensions.

That said, it’s possible that “you still may get a bill for penalties and interest in certain circumstances,” she noted. One reason you might get such a bill: If you moved to a different county, and your new address is no longer in one of the California counties eligible for the extensions.

But if you do get a late filing or a late payment notice from the IRS before Oct. 16, don’t panic. Just call the telephone number that’s on the notice, and as long as you lived or worked in one of the eligible California counties during the tax year, the IRS says you can get the penalty wiped.

“Explain the situation, and they should be able to reverse that for you,” said Spivey.

• Tell us: What else do you need information about right now?

Where can I still find free or low-cost help preparing my taxes?

You can consult the following tools to see if there’s a free or low-cost tax preparation clinic near you:

• United Way Bay Area’s Free Tax Help portal
• The VITA site locator tool from the IRS

Spivey also confirms that it’s not too late in the year for undocumented immigrants to request an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), the tax-processing given out by the IRS to individuals so they can file and pay their taxes regardless of their immigration status or whether they have a Social Security number. If that’s you, “you would file a form W7 along with your tax return,” advised Spivey, alongside which you’ll provide various identification documents like your passport or birth certificate. If you’re (understandably) nervous about submitting your original documents, Spivey advises that you can visit a certified acceptance agent (CAA) who can sign off on your documents visually on behalf of the IRS.

Tell us: What else do you need information about?

At KQED News, we know that it can sometimes be hard to track down the answers to navigate life in the Bay Area in 2023. We’ve published clear, practical explainers and guides about COVID, how to cope with intense winter weather and how to exercise your right to protest safely.

So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site, and on KQED Public Radio, too.