Keeping all the filing dates straight when it comes to the tax calendar can be a challenge in the best of times. Add some unique Federal Holidays and you often have a mess on your hands. So what do you need to know?

Federal Holidays

The Federal Tax Calendar contains some fairly predicable holidays and one or two that can throw you for a loop. Here are the current observed holidays for federal tax purposes in 2012:

What You Should Know

Filing dates can move. The general rule of thumb is that if a tax filing date lands on a Saturday or Sunday, the filing date is moved to the following Monday. Month end reports that are due often can be filed the following Monday when the due date lands on a weekend.

Filing dates can move TWICE. When a tax filing date lands on a weekend AND the following Monday is an observed holiday, then the filing date moves to Tuesday. This has occurred the last two years with the April 15^th tax filing date and the Washington D.C. Emancipation Day Holiday.

Favorite dates. The tax calendar tends to favor certain dates during the month. The dates are the 15^th and the last day of the month. If you receive tips at your job then also throw in the 10^th. Knowing this, you can always do a mental review each month to ensure you are not missing a key filing date.

Major Individual Filing Dates. Please note them on your calendar. Other dates may be important for your particular situation, but this is a good place to start:

Note: remember to move the filing due date to the following Monday if the date lands on a weekend.