Despite government shutdown, Oct. 15 is still the tax extension deadline

Despite the government shutdown, the Oct. 15 federal tax extension deadline is fast approaching for many filers.

The process could be harder for some taxpayers after the IRS furloughed nearly half of its workforce —about 34,000 employees — earlier this week, experts say.

“It’s going to be a long haul if you need any kind of specialized customer experience,” said Jennifer MacMillan, president of the National Association of Enrolled Agents, whose members are tax professionals licensed by the IRS.

The original tax deadline was April 15. If you couldn’t meet that due date, you could submit Form 4868 for a six-month extension to file. But your tax payment was still due on April 15.

During fiscal 2024, the IRS received more than 20 million tax extension forms, according to the latest agency projections. For 2025, it expects that number to be around 19.8 million.