U.S. says taxpayers must file returns by July 15 or request extension

U.S. taxpayers must file their 2019 tax returns by July 15 or file for an automatic extension to Oct. 15, the Treasury Department said on Monday. Treasury opted against a second postponement of the deadline officials had said they were considering because of the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. taxpayers must file their 2019 tax returns by July 15 or file for an automatic extension to Oct. 15, the Treasury Department said on Monday.

Treasury opted against a second postponement of the deadline officials had said they were considering because of the coronavirus pandemic. Federal income taxes are normally due by April 15, but the deadline was delayed this year by three months due to the pandemic, which has pushed the U.S. economy into recession and thrown millions of people out of work.

President Donald Trump said in May that actions such as a second postponement of the tax deadline "could happen" as part of the administration's efforts to combat the economic effects of the coronavirus. As recently as last week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would consider further delaying the tax filing deadline.