On July 31, President Obama signed into a law a bill that included changes to due dates for certain returns; these changes had been proposed by AICPA members who wanted a more logical chronology so that information taxpayers needed to file 1040s or 1120s would be available on time. The law also provides several new extension dates. Use the chart as a handy reference to keep track of what is changing and when.

The most significant changes is that partnerships are required to file by March 15th (instead of April 15th) C Corporations must file by April 15th (instead of March 15th) and tax exempt organizations may apply for an automatic six month extension.

• Partnership returns (1065 form – GPs, LPs, LLCs) will be due March 15 instead of April 15. The extension changes from 5-month to 6-month, keeping it at September 15.
• C-corporation returns (1120 form) will be due April 15 instead of March 15. The extension changes from 6-month to 5-month, keeping it at September 15.
• Trust and estate returns (1041 form) are still due April 15, but the extension is now an extra 1/2 month, meaning September 30.
• The foreign reporting form FinCen 114 is now due April 15 instead of June 30, but gets a brand new six-month extension, mirroring the 1040 schedule.
• Tax-exempt entities (990 form) finally get a full automatic 6-month extension, removing the 3-month automatic extended due date of August 15.
• Finally, benefit plans (5500 form) get a longer extension, from September 15 to November 15.