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Filing season client cutoff calculator
Pick the tax year and how many weeks of working time you need. You get the date each return is due and the date to tell clients their documents must be in, plus a calendar file to download. Nothing you pick is sent to our server.
| Return | Due date | Documents from clients by |
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Due dates are the standard federal dates for calendar-year filers (January 31, March 15, April 15, September 15 and October 15), moved to the next business day when they fall on a weekend, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Presidents Day. The cutoff is the due date minus your working time, moved back to a weekday. Not tax advice: April 15 can also move for Emancipation Day, disaster-area relief and fiscal-year entities, so confirm with the IRS or your preparer. This tool does not cover state deadlines or estimated payments.
How to use the cutoff date
The due date is when the IRS expects the return. The cutoff is the date your own workload needs the documents. Put the cutoff in your engagement letter and in the first request you send, and say what happens after it: the return goes on extension, or a late-document fee applies. A date you do not enforce is only a suggestion, and clients learn that quickly.
Many firms use three weeks for individual returns and four to six for partnership and S corporation returns, because the March 15 deadline arrives first and those files are more complex. Pick the number your busy-season calendar can really carry. If a client misses the cutoff, offering an extension is usually kinder than rushing: see tax extension clients.
Send the request early, then let reminders do the chasing
Send the first request in January with a list of exactly what you need (our tax organizer is a starting point), then a reminder a week out and a last call a few days before the cutoff. The tax season reminder email templates and request email generator write the wording. For the penalty side, see the late document fee calculator and the engagement letter generator. 1099 dates for your vendors are in the 1099 deadline calculator.
Make the cutoff date stick
Send the list as a live DocNag request with your cutoff as the due date: clients upload through one private link and get automatic reminders that quote the date.
Create a request in DocNag See the client view firstFree plan, no card needed.
Frequently asked questions
When are the 2027 filing season deadlines?
For tax year 2026, W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are due February 1, 2027 (January 31 is a Sunday), partnership and S corporation returns March 15, and individual and C corporation returns April 15. Extended 1065 and 1120-S returns are due September 15 and extended 1040 and 1120 returns October 15.
How far before the deadline should clients send documents?
There is no rule. Three weeks is common for individual returns and four to six for partnership and S corporation returns. Pick the lead time your own workload needs and write it into your engagement letter.
Does this tool store what I choose?
No. The dates are worked out in your browser and nothing is sent to our server.
Does it cover state deadlines or estimated payments?
No. It covers the standard federal filing dates for calendar-year filers. Check state deadlines and estimated tax dates separately.