Tax Day for Most of Louisiana but Not Everybody

The old saying goes the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes. Now if only we could make an arrangement with death as we have with taxes. An arrangement? Well, with taxes you can get an extensioni. With Death, I don't think that has been established as an option, well at least yet.

For most Louisiana residents today is the state tax filing deadline. I know that usually happens in April but if you recall there were some serious weather issues, no not hurricanes, but ice storms, in the state earlier this year. So, that bought us all an extra month from the already extended tax deadline.

So, if you live in any parish that is not Ascension, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, or Lafayette, your state tax filing deadline is today. Now, if you live in one of those five parishes your state tax deadline has been pushed back to August 16th.

If you don't recall why those parishes got an additional extension it has to do with flooding rains that we experienced a month or so ago. You might recall a day of torrential downpours that put water into many homes and businesses in the previously mentioned parishes.

Based on conversations we have had just around our office the big question most of us who file our own taxes have has to do with how stimulus checks and monies received during the pandemic need to be recorded.

According to Senior Tax Manager at Hannis T. Bourgeois in Baton Rouge, Brad Tate stimulus funds that taxpayers received in 2020 are not counted as income for the year so that does not have to be claimed. Tate, also told the Louisiana Radio Network that in regard to unemployment compensation the first $10,000 is exempt for most taxpayers.

Just in case you need some help describing how your financial situation went during the pandemic year of 2020, we have this handy guide of words we would use to describe the year that was.