The Internal Revenue Service started the U.S. tax filing season on Tuesday and announced that U.S. taxpayers will have until April 18, 2011 to file their 2010 returns and pay their tax bills because April 15 falls on a holiday.
The IRS also said that it would be unable to process returns carrying itemized deductions until mid- to late February, because it has to reprogram its processing systems after the passage of a big tax bill at the end of 2010.
April 15 is Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia. Taxpayers who file extensions will have until October 17, 2011 to file their 2010 tax returns.
Taxpayers who won't be able to file until mid-February include those claiming itemized deductions on Schedule A, higher education deductions on Form 8917, and teachers claiming their $250 deduction for classroom expenses.
