Final countdown: Tax filing deadline is Wednesday

Oregon taxpayers have until midnight Wednesday, April 15, 2026 to file their tax year 2025 federal and state personal income tax returns and the Oregon Department of Revenue wants to remind taxpayers of information and options that can make the last-minute filing experience less stressful.

You must file a return to get your kicker

In 2026, Oregon is returning $1.41 billion in revenue above projections to taxpayers in the form of a “kicker” tax credit. The kicker is a refundable credit that will either increase a taxpayer's Oregon state income tax refund or decrease the amount of state taxes they owe. It is not sent to taxpayers separately as a check.

Only taxpayers who filed a tax year 2024 return and also file a tax year 2025 return can receive a kicker. Taxpayers can determine the amount of their kicker using the What’s My Kicker? calculator available on Revenue Online.

Where’s my refund?

Through Friday, the Department of Revenue has processed 1.5 million of an expected 2.2 million Oregon personal income tax returns.

Taxpayers can check the status of their Oregon state income tax refund using Revenue’s Where’s My Refund? tool. The Department recommends logging in to your Revenue Online account to access enhanced tool features.

Taxpayers who don’t already have a Revenue Online account can create one by following the Revenue Online link on the department’s website.

Filing last-minute paper returns

Due to changes to US Postal Service processes in recent years, taxpayers dropping paper returns into a US Postal Service mailbox at this late date can’t be certain that their returns will be postmarked by the due date.

Taxpayers who want to mail their return can take their return to a USPS office during regular business hours no later than April 15, 2026 and make an in-person request to have their return manually postmarked at the counter before mailing it.

Revenue staff will be on hand in the lobby of the Revenue headquarters building in Salem to accept and date stamp returns for taxpayers 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Tax Day, Wednesday, April 15. Taxpayers can also hand deliver their returns to DOR Regional offices in Bend, Eugene, Gresham, Medford, and Portland during regular business hours. For federal returns, taxpayers should seek a hand-stamped postmark at their local post office.

After hours, paper Oregon personal income tax returns can be deposited in drop boxes available on both the east and west sides of the Salem office; on the west side of the Portland State Office Building; or outside the DOR offices in Eugene, Medford, and Bend. A drop box inside DOR’s Gresham office is available during business hours.

The department doesn’t recommend using the state drop boxes for federal returns. Paper federal returns should be sent to the IRS. Federal returns dropped in the DOR drop boxes are date stamped and forwarded to the IRS, but the Department of Revenue can’t guarantee that the IRS will accept them as having been filed on time.

Free e-filing options and tax preparation help

Taxpayers can use Free Fillable Forms to file their federal return and then use Direct File Oregon to file their Oregon personal income tax return directly with the state through Revenue Online. Other free electronic filing options are available for taxpayers that meet income requirements. Using links from the department’s website ensures that both taxpayers’ federal and state return will be filed for free.

Public computer kiosks for filing taxes with Direct File Oregon and free fillable forms are available in department regional offices in Bend, Eugene, Gresham, Medford, and Portland.

From IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites to Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) or AARP Foundation TaxAide locations, Oregon taxpayers needing free assistance can find free tax assistance sites near them on the Department of Revenue Department’s interactive map or through the United Way’s MyFreeTaxes program.

Filing an extension.

Individuals who are not able to file by midnight Wednesday can file an extension directly with the Oregon Department of Revenue or with the IRS. If the IRS extension is granted, the Oregon extension is automatically granted. A timely filed extension moves the federal tax filing deadline and the Oregon filing deadline to October 15, 2026.

Taxpayers should only request an Oregon extension if they:

• Don’t have a federal extension,
• Owe Oregon taxes, and
• Can’t file their return by April 15, 2026.

Remember that an extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay any tax owed. Taxpayers who can’t pay the full amount they owe should pay what they can to avoid late payment penalties.