Tax day is Tuesday, April 17, 2018 — but get your taxes in by April 15!  I know some people have yet to crack open their books. I can hear them now: Oh , tax day isn’t until the 17th, that means I get 17 more days before I have to pay! And of course I’m not talking about any of my friends.

The truth is that you effectively have zero additional time. I was talking to a CPA I work with the other day, and he told me that any tax returns that come in after April 15 will not be processed until after the 17th because they’re going to spend all day Monday and all day Tuesday, the 16th and 17th, processing extensions.

All my years in the financial services industry and I never realized that. I knew that they’re always very busy up until the last minute, but I thought they were doing tax returns. I’m sure not all firms have this rule, but I think it’s a good one.

It’s unfortunate but true that people are procrastinators — and we often tend towards overconfidence in our abilities while downplaying the difficulty of the task. It’s very rare that anyone can get their taxes done in one session with the CPA, but people forget that. People also forget that extensions are not manna from heaven, they come with a price. The IRS still expects payment in full in order to file the extension.

If tax time is stressing your marriage, or the walls of the arteries in your brain, maybe it’s time to talk to a professional. By starting healthy money and organization habits this early in the year, your marriage and aneurysm can self-repair in peace.