A self-employed contractor pays federal estimated income taxes quarterly. For income earned during a normal calendar year, which set of due dates is correct?
Explanation
IRC §6654(c)(2) sets an individual's estimated-tax instalments at April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 of the following year, with a weekend or holiday pushing the date to the next business day. The intervals are deliberately uneven — three months, two, three, then four — which is what makes the pattern worth memorising. The 15th of March and December belongs to corporate instalments, the first-of-the-month set matches no federal schedule, and starting in January shifts every date into the wrong quarter.
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