The Procrastinator’s Guide to Taxes
A few years ago, I was chatting with my sister and had this conversation:
She suggested I write a Procrastinator’s Guide to Taxes - so here you go!
Tax Day is April 15
In most years, Tax Day falls on April 15—and in 2026, it’s right on time (Wednesday, April 15).
Occasionally, the deadline shifts due to weekends or holidays (like Washington D.C.’s Emancipation Day), but this year you don’t get that extra buffer. No bonus days… sorry!
So, you have until April 15 to file your taxes—now what?
Gather all your documents.
The good news is that most documents can be found online, even if they are mailed to you. Here’s what you need:
All income received (W-2 forms, 1099 Forms, etc.)
All income adjustments (health insurance, retirement contributions, mortgage interest, student loan interest, etc.)
All tax credits and deductions (education costs, medical expenses, business expenses, etc.)
Pro tip: Create one folder (physical or digital) and drop everything into it. No piles. No “I’ll come back to this later.”
Decide how and who will do your taxes.
You have a few options depending on your personal situation.
Do them yourself online. I have used both TaxAct.com and Turbotax.com, but I would not spend any more time researching them, just pick one.
Make an appointment with a tax service like H&R Block. If you do this, you must go online right now, and find somewhere that has an appointment open.
Skip doing taxes by hand. The 1040EZ no longer exists, and manual filing just creates more room for error.
If you come to the conclusion that you will not be able to file your taxes on time, due to extenuating circumstances, you can file an extension. This is not an ideal situation because you will more than likely still have to pay a penalty fee plus interest.
Decide when you are going to file.
Not “sometime this weekend.” Not “when I have time.” Pick a real time. Block a specific window on your calendar and treat it like an appointment you can’t miss.
Ideally, choose a time when:
You’re alert and focused
You won’t be interrupted
You have enough time to make real progress
And I don’t recommend waiting until the last possible day—it turns into unnecessary stress!
Here is a list of resources - and, of course, I must inform you that I am not a tax, legal or accounting professional. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
Filing Your Taxes https://www.irs.gov/filing
Publication 17 (2022), Your Federal Income Tax for Individuals, For use in preparing 2025 Returns https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17
Form 1040EZ, Income Tax Return for Single and Joint Filers With No Dependents https://www.irs.gov/uac/about-form-1040ez
Extension of Time to File Your Tax Return https://www.irs.gov/filing/extension-of-time-to-file-your-tax-return
Tax Form Checklist https://www.irs.com/articles/tax-form-checklist
This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated to reflect the current year.
