“Did You Know?” #15

DID YOU KNOW that the deadline to claim a refund for the 2021 filing year is April 15, 2025?

The Internal Revenue Code limits how long you have to claim a refund. You can claim a refund up to three years after the due date of the return or two years after the actual payment was made. Any claim for refund after that period, the IRS will keep. What does that mean for a taxpayer? If you are eligible to claim a refund for 2021, you must file your tax return by April 15, 2025 (assuming a valid, timely extension was not filed.) This includes the “Recovery Rebate Credit” and any of the additional Child Tax Credit that was available in 2021. If you did not receive the third and last of the stimulus payments, you can claim the $1400 payment as a “Recovery Rebate Credit” on your 2021 return. If you didn’t receive the full child tax credit, that will be claimed under the Child Tax Credit section.

Again, this must be done by April 15, 2025.  It is too late to E-file a 2021 return, so the return must be mailed. Always mail returns to the IRS using certified mail and keep the proof of mailing receipt from the post office. This will allow you to prove you mailed the return by the due date and will also give you a tracking number to be sure that it was delivered. I can’t say it enough, you must file for a 2021 refund by April 15th, 2025, and be able to prove it was filed by that date.