Individual income tax returns in the United States are due on April 15. In 2002, 27.1 million taxpayers, more than 20 percent, waited until the last minute to file, according to the IRS. For decades many post offices stayed open until midnight on April 15, so that late filers could still get their returns postmarked by the deadline.
A taxpayer can get an automatic six-month extension. It must be requested by the filing deadline. The IRS adds: “an extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.”