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A large share of Americans wait until the last minute to file their taxes. NBC News conducted an analysis of IRS data and found that around 43 million people wait until the final three weeks leading up to tax day to file their returns with the agency.
That accounts for nearly 30% of all tax returns the agency processes.
There may be a higher number of late tax returns filed this year. By the end of March, 91 million taxpayers filed their returns, a decrease of 12.2 million from 2019.
Not everybody procrastinates when it comes to their taxes. Around 12% of taxpayers file their taxes within the first week that the IRS begins accepting them. Meanwhile, roughly 11% need more time to do their taxes and request an extension from the IRS.
The coronavirus pandemic had a significant impact on IRS operations. The agency was forced to extend the filing deadline to July 15 in 2020, while last year, it was moved to May 17.
This year, tax day was moved from April 15 to Monday (April 18) because the IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C., will be closed in observance of Emancipation Day. Taxpayers in Maine and Massachusetts will get an additional day because Monday is Patriot's Day.