The days are numbered for filing taxes. For many Americans, filing tax returns may feel overwhelming, taxpayers handle the stress differently. Some get their taxes filed as soon as possible while many push it off until the last minute.
If you tend to procrastinate filing your taxes, you’re not alone. For the fourth year in a row, IPX1031 has released its annual report showing which states and major cities are home to the largest number of tax procrastinators. The data was found by analyzing Google search data relating to the tax filing deadline.
The report found Wyoming ranked as the number one state in the U.S. for procrastinating their taxes for 2023. Other states procrastinating their taxes include Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota all ranked second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Alaska has remained in the top 5 of procrastinators since 2021. Rounding out the top 10 for tax procrastinators is Delaware, Rhode Island, Montana, Maine, and New Hampshire. The states procrastinating the least include Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and Michigan.
When it comes to the 30 largest cities in the U.S., Baltimore takes the #1 spot for this year’s biggest tax procrastinator. Las Vegas ranks second, Boston comes in third, and Denver in fourth. Finishing out the top 10 is Portland, Detroit, Washington D.C., Louisville, Seattle, and Memphis. Some of the biggest cities are home to the least amount of tax procrastinators including New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
The report also conducted a survey of over 1,000 people in the U.S. between the ages of 18-90 to find out just how many Americans put off their taxes and why.
The findings show 32% admit to procrastinating doing their taxes. Nearly 1 in 3 (30%) Americans don’t feel prepared to file their taxes this year.
The top reason Americans say they procrastinate is that it’s just too complicated and stressful. Other top reasons include the task of filing being too time consuming, or some don’t believe they’re getting a refund.
Do you know when Tax Day is this year? If you didn’t say April 18, nearly 1 in 3 Americans didn’t know when this year’s deadline was either. IPX’s report also broke down that same question among the generations, with 53% of Gen Z, 33% of Millennials, 23% of Gen X, and 20% of Baby Boomers unsure of the deadline. In fact, 13% of Gen Z and nearly 1 in 10 Millennials believe Tax Day is April 20.
The upside of filing is usually the amount of money making its way back to you. However, 2 in 5 Americans are expecting their tax return to be smaller in 2023 than in 2022. The average expected tax return is $1,956. Millennials are expecting to receive the largest return this year, expecting an average of $2,161. Despite many expecting to receive smaller amounts, 1 in 5 Americans think their tax return will be larger in 2023, compared to 2022.
How do Americans plan to spend their return? The most common plans for this year’s return include saving it, paying off debt, using it on everyday expenses, paying rent or mortgage, or investing.
Methodology: In January 2023, IPX1031 conducted a survey of 1,007 people from around the U.S. Among respondents, 48% identified as male, 49% as female, and 3% as non-binary or transgender. Respondents aged in range from 18-90 with an average age of 39.
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The state and city rankings were based on an analysis of nearly 200 Google search terms relating to the tax filing deadline from January-September 2022. We took the average number of monthly searches for each state and city and calculated the searches per 100,000 residents.
By Jenna LeMair