Haven't done your taxes yet? You're not late - most RIers have until July 15

Have you done your taxes yet? If not, don't despair, as tax deadlines are later this year.

If you live in Providence, Washington or Kent Counties in Rhode Island, you have until Monday, July 15, to file your federal taxes, because of storms earlier in the year, while the state tax filing deadline is July 15, regardless of what county you live in.

You can even request a filing extension until Oct. 15, except if you owe the government money, you need to pay by July 15.

Why did Rhode Island's tax deadline change?

The extended tax filing deadlines are a result of the federally declared disasters after storms in September, December and January.

If you need help filing your taxes, the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA program, is still operating in a few locations. For anyone with income below $64,000, tax preparers will do your taxes for you.

Read more about the program in a feature story here.

The free tax prep sites are still open at:

• Progreso Latino in Central Falls, by appointment on Monday and Tuesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tax prep runs through Oct. 31. Call 401-753-4854 for an appointment
• Community Action Partnership of Providence, or CAPP, runs through Oct. 15. Call 401-273-2000 extension 159
• Center for Southeast Asians in Providence, by appointment on Mondays, from 2-5 p.m. Runs until Oct. 15. Call 401-274-8811
• Connecting for Children and Families in Woonsocket, my appointment weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Nov. 1. Call 401-766-3384
• Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket, by appointment on Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m., until Oct. 15. Call 401-235-7187

For anyone making $78,000 or less a year, the IRS has a "Free FIle" program, which offers free tax preparation software.

• Six companies offer free preparation of federal and Rhode Island tax returns for Rhode Island residents.
• our guide on using the programs in Rhode Island to see the income limitations for each and the pros and the cons of each option available for both state and federal returns.
• If you need help with a tax issue, not related to this year's return, the IRS runs two Taxpayer Assistance Centers in Rhode Island, one in Providence and one in Warwick.

What to know:

• The IRS's new deadline to file federal taxes in Providence, Kent and Washington counties is July 15, 2024.
• The federal deadline for tax filing in Bristol and Newport counties has not changed.
• The due date for state tax filings, normally April 15, has been moved to July 15 for all Rhode Islanders, not just people in Providence, Kent and Washington counties.

What other deadlines were pushed out, and due on July 15?

Run-of-the-mill tax returns are not the only thing that had their due dates pushed out to July 15. For people in Providence, Washington and Kent counties, here's what other federal tax deadlines were pushed back to July 15:

• Individual tax returns
• Quarterly estimated tax payments normally due on Jan. 16, April 15 and June 17
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns (normally due Jan. 31 and April 30)
• Calendar-year partnership and S corporation returns normally due on March 15, 2024
• Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2024.
• Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2024.
• Quarterly tax payments submitted by July 15 will not be subject to penalties.

What happens if I file my taxes late?

If you file your federal or state taxes late, there is no penalty if you are owed a refund.

There are penalties if you owe.

If you are owed a refund, that check only stays in the IRS's coffers for three years (going back to tax day, April 15) before it goes back to the government. That means if you are owed a refund and don't claim it within three years, you forfeit it.

The IRS estimates Rhode Island taxpayers are owed $3 million in never-claimed refunds from 2020.

Looking for your refund?

• The IRS offers a website to check the status of a federal refund, www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund.
• Rhode Island offers a website to check the status of tax refunds: www.ri.gov/taxation/refund/.

How to track your tax refund.You've filed your taxes, but where's your money?

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter