Only three of California’s 58 counties need their taxes filed by Tuesday — every other county has until Oct. 16 due to the series of atmospheric river storms that swept the state this winter.
The unusual split in tax dates is to give California residents and businesses impacted by power outages, flooding and deadly storms more time to file their federal and state income tax returns. All counties that were impacted by federal or state emergency declarations are eligible for the extension, which means every Bay Area county is included.
California’s Franchise Tax Board and the IRS are allowing the following counties to file by Oct. 16: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz , Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo and Yuba.
The goal is “to help relieve some of the hardships many have endured during this trying period,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a March statement.
Not included in that list are Lassen, Modoc and Shasta counties; residents and businesses there will still need to file their taxes by April 18.
If you need additional details about the 2023 tax season or need help applying for a tax deduction due to storm damage, visit the California Franchise Tax Board site. Keep in mind that holding off on filing your returns may not be worth it for you: If you’re eligible for a refund and want it sooner, you may not want to wait until the fall to file your returns.