IRS, ODT announce April 18 deadline

The IRS has announced the 2022 tax filing season will begin Jan. 24 with an April 18 deadline. It marks the third year in a row – and eighth in the past 12 years – that the big day doesn’t fall on its traditional date. 

The past two years the date was pushed back because of the pandemic. This year, the change comes because of the Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia. 

The Ohio Department of Taxation also announced the same dates. Tax Commissioner Jeff McClain said Ohio taxpayers will find a few new changes that could impact the preparation of the state income tax return. Among those:  

• Tax rates for all Ohio taxpayers have been reduced: those with taxable nonbusiness income of $25,000 or less will pay no income tax; the tax rate on nonbusiness income of more than $110,650 is now 3.99%, down from the previous top rate of 4.797%, while all other tax rates have been cut by 3.0%. 

• To better reflect the purpose, Schedule A is now called Ohio Schedule of Adjustments; Schedule J is now called Ohio Schedule of Dependents. 
• Three new education tax credits are available to eligible taxpayers: for donating to a scholarship granting organization, for home school expenses, and for tuition to a non-chartered, non-public school. 

Key filing season dates 
There are several important dates taxpayers should keep in mind for this year's filing season: 

Jan. 14: IRS Free File opens. Taxpayers can begin filing returns through IRS Free File partners; tax returns will be transmitted to the IRS starting January 24. Tax software companies are also accepting tax filings in advance. 
Jan. 18: Due date for tax year 2021 fourth quarter estimated tax payment.  
Jan. 24: IRS begins 2022 tax season. Individual 2021 tax returns begin being accepted and processing begins 
Jan. 28: Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day to raise awareness of valuable tax credits available to many people – including the option to use prior-year income to qualify. 
April 18: Due date to file 2021 tax return or request extension and pay tax owed due to Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C., even for those who live outside the area. 
April 19: Due date to file 2021 tax return or request extension and pay tax owed for those who live in MA or ME due to Patriots’ Day holiday 
Oct. 17: Due date to file for those requesting an extension on their 2021 tax returns 

For tax-related learning, check out MyOSCPA.