What if my return is still pending or rejected on April 18?

Your tax return is due on April 18, by 11:59 pm local time. As long as it is e-filed by this time, your tax return should not be considered late. However, if it’s pending or rejected, you’ll want to keep an eye on your return.

If your tax return is still pending on April 18, there’s usually no reason to worry. It may take the IRS a day or two to accept it, but as long as it has been sent on time, there’s generally nothing else needed on your end. 

You may want to check the status of your tax return over the next few days, and should see it updated to accept it if nothing else is wrong. If you’re concerned there’s an error, you can also reach out to your tax filing software company or your accountant.

Keep in mind, different tax software may have different statuses. It’s a good idea to review the statuses your software shows and understand what they mean. A pending status, for instance, may mean your refund is pending, versus your tax return, so we recommend talking to the tax software company if you have any questions.

If your tax return is rejected on April 18, 2023, you have a little more time to fix any errors. You typically have until April 23rd to refile your federal return online or through the mail. To do this, you’ll either need to refile your return or submit an amended return. You can do this online with your tax software platform, with your accountant, or by mail with tax form 1040X.