VA, DC Income Tax Deadline 2022: Last-Minute Filing Tips

Deb Belt
·6 min read

VIRGINIA — There are only hours left in the 2022 federal tax season, and many Virginia taxpayers must still submit their tax returns. They have an extra day to buckle down, compile and file their tax returns.

The deadline to file and pay tax owed for most individual income tax returns is Monday, April 18. The IRS wants last-minute filers to know tax help is available to file a tax return, request an extension or make a payment, 24 hours a day on IRS.gov.

Virginia's deadline to file state taxes is usually May 1, according to Virginia Tax. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, you have until the next business day to file with no penalty, so Virginians have until Monday, May 2, to file.

In the District of Columbia, the filing deadline for individual income tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed is Monday, April 18, according to the Office of Tax and Revenue.

While April 15 is normally federal Tax Day, when that date falls on a weekend or holiday, it is pushed back to the next business day. Tax Day is delayed in 2022 because April 15 was Good Friday and Passover. This pushed the deadline to the next business day, which is Monday.

The IRS urges taxpayers to file electronically because tax software does the calculations, flags common errors and reduces tax return errors by prompting taxpayers for missing information. The fastest way to receive a refund is to file electronically and use direct deposit, the agency said.

Taxpayers who have filed are, on average, receiving larger refunds, according to the IRS. Refunds are running about $3,226 on average this year — about $333 more than last year, for an 11.5 percent increase. So far, the IRS has paid out about $204 billion in refunds.

The IRS says most refunds are issued in less than 21 days for taxpayers who filed electronically and chose direct deposit.

If you're a Virginia or DC resident who hasn't filed yet, here are five things to know:

1. How To Get Extension, Find Other Answers

IRS Free File lets you prepare and file your federal income tax online using guided tax preparation, at an IRS partner site or Free File Fillable Forms. It's safe, easy and no cost to you for a federal return.

Advice on filing can be found on sites such as GetYourRefund.org, operated by IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance to help families earning less than about $66,000 a year file their taxes for free. Volunteers provide help in both English and Spanish.

Other helpful sites are MyFreeTaxes.com, a United Way-supported site that provides virtual assistance to people who make $58,000 or less to file their federal and state taxes for free, and many other free file sites curated with an IRS tool.

2. How To Check On Your Refund

To check the status of a refund, taxpayers should use the Where's My Refund? tool on IRS.gov. Information for the most current tax year filed is generally available within 24 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of a taxpayer's e-filed return.

If you file a paper return, you should wait four weeks before checking the status.

3. Don't Forget To Report Jobless Pay

The IRS says it's seeing situations where people aren't reporting unemployment compensation received in 2021. For the 2020 taxable year, a special law allowed taxpayers to exclude unemployment compensation, but it was only for that year. Unemployment compensation received in 2021 is generally taxable, so taxpayers should include it as income on their tax return.

4. Answer The Virtual Currency Question

Even taxpayers who haven't been involved in virtual currency need to pay attention to a question about it included on 2021 Forms 1040 and 1040-SSR.

The question asks if, at any time during 2021, the filer received, sold, exchanged or otherwise disposed of any financial interest in any virtual currency. Taxpayers should not leave this field blank but should check either "Yes" or "No."

5. You May Be Eligible For A Recovery Rebate Credit

People who missed a COVID-19 stimulus payment or didn't get the full amount may be able to claim a recovery rebate credit on their 2021 federal tax return.

Parents of a child born or adopted in 2021, as well as those who fostered children last year, may be able to receive up to $1,400 per child. It can also be applied if an adult became a qualifying relative, such as a parent, nephew or niece, or grandchild became a qualifying relative in 2021, but had not previously been listed as one on tax returns.

Others who can claim the $1,400 credit include people who saw their income drop in 2021. That includes:

  • Single filers who earned at least $80,000 in 2020, but less in 2021;

  • Married couples filing a joining return whose combined incomes were more than $160,000, but less in 2021;

  • Head of household filers who had incomes above $120,000 but less in 2021.

Here are some other crunch-time tips from the IRS:

Check the identification numbers: Carefully check identification numbers — usually Social Security numbers — for each person listed. This includes you, your spouse, dependents and persons listed in relation to claims for the Child and Dependent Care Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit. Missing, incorrect or illegible Social Security numbers can delay or reduce a tax refund.

Double-check your figures: If you are filing a paper return, double-check that you have correctly figured the refund or balance due.

Check the tax tables: If you e-file, the software will do this for you. If you are using Free File Fillable Forms or a paper return, double-check that you used the right figure from the tax table for your filing status.

Sign your form: You must sign and date your return. If you’re filing a joint return, both you and your spouse must sign it, even if only one of you had income. If you paid someone to prepare your return, they must also sign it and enter their Preparer Tax Identification Number.

Send your return to the right address: If you are mailing a return, find the correct mailing address at www.irs.gov.

Pay electronically: Electronic payment options are convenient, safe and secure methods for paying taxes. You can authorize an electronic funds withdrawal or use a credit or a debit card.

Follow instructions when mailing a payment: People sending a payment should make the check payable to the United States Treasury and should enclose it with, but not attach it to, the tax return or the Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, if used. The check should include the Social Security number of the person listed first on the return, daytime phone number, the tax year and the type of form filed.

File or request an extension of time to file: By the April 18 due date, you should either file a return or request an extension of time to file. Remember, the extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.

This article originally appeared on the Across Virginia Patch