Vermont calendar and forms: the dates, the IN-111 family, and how to reach the Department

The Vermont calendar follows the federal one with two additions that catch people. The income tax return, Form IN-111, is due April 15, 2027, and a federal extension carries it to October 15, 2027 automatically, but the extension does not cover the Homestead Declaration, the Property Tax Credit claim or the Renter Credit. Those are due April 15 as well, and the Renter Credit cannot be extended at all; both property claims have a hard final date of October 15. The other addition is a $50 late-filing penalty that applies to an extended return filed after October 15 even when a refund is due. Everything else is familiar: estimated payments on the 15th of April, June, September and January, a six-to-eight-week wait for an e-filed refund, and a Department that answers the phone four days a week.

The calendar

Mailed forms are treated as timely if the Department receives them within three business days of the due date; e-filed forms go by transmission date. Late payment penalty and interest run from April 16 regardless of any extension.

The forms

The Department publishes a single income tax booklet each year with IN-111, IN-112, IN-113, IN-116, HS-122, HI-144 and RCC-146 and their instructions; the other schedules are posted separately on the forms page. The 2026 forms will appear there in January 2027. The 2025 versions below are the current ones and the line numbers are expected to hold.

Direct links to the instructions for the forms discussed in this series are in the forms box at the end of each article. The Department mails paper forms on request at 802-828-2515.

How to file

There is no Vermont e-file mandate for individuals and no Department-run free e-file for IN-111, so most Vermonters file electronically through commercial software or a paid preparer, with the Vermont return riding on the federal one. Paper returns are accepted and take longer. The free routes:

• IRS Free File. Vermont participates. The offers for the 2027 season and their income limits appear on the Department’s Free File page in January; for 2025 returns the limit was $89,000 of AGI.
• VITA and TCE sites. Run statewide by the Vermont Community Action Agencies for people who made less than $69,000 in 2025, have a disability, are elderly or need language help. Find one through the IRS site locator.
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide. No AARP membership required; call 1-800-906-9887 first if the return uses unusual forms.
• MyFreeTaxes. Free self-filing at AGI of $89,000 or less, or a prepared return at $69,000 or less.
• Military OneSource. Free filing for service members.
• Direct File. IRS Direct File did not run for the 2026 season, and the IRS has since ended the program.

The Renter Credit and the Homestead Declaration can be filed on myVTax without a login and without an income tax return. The Property Tax Credit claim can be filed with the return or on myVTax. Estimated payments and extension payments go through myVTax by e-check at no charge or by credit card with a 3% fee.

Refunds

Check status on myVTax under “Check the Status of Your Return” with your Social Security number, last name, ZIP code and the exact refund amount from IN-111 line 27 or 29. E-filed returns are processed in about six to eight weeks, paper in eight to twelve; a return pulled for fraud review can run past ten weeks, and the Department will write to you if it needs anything, often an identity verification letter answered on myVTax. Returns filed before January 31 wait for employers’ W-2 reports. Direct deposit is available on e-filed returns; paper returns are refunded by check. Status posts Monday through Friday between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., and the Department says calling will not speed anything up, because the phone staff see the same screen.

Reaching the Department

The Department is closed to phone calls on Wednesdays. Mailing addresses for the return itself are printed in the IN-111 instructions and differ for refund and payment returns.