NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The IRS is giving taxpayers two extra days to get their taxes turned in this year.
While Tax Day typically falls on April 15, the IRS announced Wednesday that it is pushing back this year's filing deadline to Tuesday, April 17.
The extension was granted because April 15 falls on a Sunday this year, and Monday is Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington D.C. that celebrates the freeing of slaves in the district. Last year, Tax Day was extended until April 18, also thanks to Emancipation Day.
The IRS will also begin accepting returns submitted online through the agency's e-filing system -- which the IRS says is the fastest, most accurate filing option for taxpayers -- on January 17.
If you are requesting an extension, you have until Oct. 15 to file your 2011 tax return, the agency said.
The IRS said it expects to receive more than 144 million individual tax returns this year, with the majority projected to be submitted by the new April 17 deadline. 
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