LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Tax season is upon us, and the filing deadline is officially here for the majority of the country.
As Benjamin Franklin once said many years ago, life has two constants: death and taxes.
The filing deadline for federal tax filings is April 15 every year.
According to the IRS’s website, this year there are exceptions to that deadline though, thanks to Hurricane Helene’s impact from last year.
For us here in Virginia, several counties and cities have an extension until May 1.
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The counties are the following:
- Albemarle
- Appomattox
- Bedford
- Bland
- Botetourt
- Buchanan
- Buckingham
- Carroll
- Charlotte
- Craig
- Dickenson
- Floyd
- Giles
- Grayson
- Greene
- Lee
- Madison
- Montgomery
- Nelson
- Patrick
- Pittsylvania
- Pulaski
- Roanoke
- Russell
- Scott
- Smyth
- Tazewell
- Washington
- Wise
- Wythe
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The cities are the following:
- Bristol City
- Covington City
- Danville City
- Galax City
- Norton City
- Radford City
- Roanoke City
The good news, even if you’re not in one of those areas, is that you can file for an extension, should you need more time to get things in order, especially if you’re a small business owner or if you’re self-employed.
We spoke with Michelle Catron, the Office Supervisor of Liberty Tax here in Lynchburg.
She explained that her best piece of advice if you’ve waited to this point, is just to get the process started.
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Go ahead and get that return filed; get that extension filed,” Catron said. “At least that shows the IRS that you have a good intention of getting this done and at some point, you’re going to make those arrangements and get this taken care of.”
Catron said continuing to put this off will be a red flag to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), especially once we get past the deadline.
She added that it’s cheaper to file before the deadline vs. after.
You also have until May 1 for your state filings.
Liberty Tax offers remote, drop-off, in-person walk-ins, and appointments as options for you.
Liberty Tax is located at 2912 Memorial Avenue in Lynchburg.
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They’re open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Another interesting point is that the deadline to get your 2021 tax refunds is also April 15.
Catron explained that the IRS is quick to make sure they get their money if you owe, but they aren’t as quick to make sure you get money back if they owe you.
According to the IRS, an estimated 28,500 people have money left on the table from unfiled returns.
