Tax Day can be about cashing in as much as paying out.
Or at least we like to think of it that way.
Dollar margaritas? You'll probably need one after winding your way through Form 1040.
Regardless of whether you owe money or are getting a refund, some businesses are marking the tax return deadline with deals and freebies.
This year's tax relief includes free treats, discounted meals and free paper shredding along with a way to eliminate the stress of filing at the last minute — free massages.
The bulk of these deductions are only offered on the official day, April 17, but a few deals started early and some extend past Tuesday.
Tax Day freebies
The following offers are available Tuesday at participating locations unless otherwise noted:
The day after Tax Day is the chain’s Free Pizookie Day. Get a free Pizookie with a minimum $9.95 food purchase Wednesday.
Get a free regular order of hand-cut fries with any purchase at participating locations Tuesday. This Tax Day freebie is to celebrate BurgerFi-sponsored NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick placing in the top nine at the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300. To get this deal, mention the April 14 race held at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.
With any purchase Tuesday, get a free small chips and queso when you say the phrase “chipping in.”
The national gourmet cookie shop continues its annual Tax Day tradition by offering free Cookies & Cream Cookies at participating locations Tuesday. No purchase necessary.
As part of its “Tastes Like America” campaign, the fast food chain is giving away free sausage biscuits from 7 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at participating locations. To get this freebie, you need to say “Made from scratch.”
At participating locations, get one free Original Turkey or Veggie Dog Tuesday. No purchase or “proof of completed taxes” required.
Kona Ice: Tax Day is Kona Ice’s National “Chill Out” Day. Stop by the company’s island-inspired trucks during select hours Tuesday for a free cup of tropical shaved ice. Find participating hours and locations at www.kona-ice.com/chill-out-day.
Office Depot: Shred up to five pounds of documents, including tax records, for free through April 28 at Office Depot and OfficeMax stores with a coupon available at www.officedepot.com/shredding.
Get a free Bloomin’ Onion with any purchase Tuesday when you say “Bloomin’ Tuesday” to your server. The free appetizer is to celebrate Kevin Harvick finishing in the top 10 in Monday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
Get a free giant blackberry lemonade at all locations Tuesday.
Through April 21, get “free shredding services,” up to one pound with a coupon available at www.staples.com/coupons.
The chain that trademarked the term “Taco Tuesday” has a Tax Day freebie a day early. On Monday, get a free beef taco by presenting a coupon available on the Taco John’s website, rewards app, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. The coupon also was sent to email and text subscribers.
Tax Day deals
Offers can vary by location so call ahead to be on the safe side.
Get $1 margaritas, which the chain calls the Dollarita, through April 30.
With the purchase of a drink, get an eight-inch cheese pizza for $4.17 Tuesday. Customers need to mention the Tax Day special, which is available for dine-in or takeout orders.
The online and mobile food delivery service’s “tax break” is 7.5% off delivery orders Tuesday with promotional code TAXDAY18 for orders placed at www.bitesquad.com or on the service's app.
The $10.40 Tax Day meal special includes a half chicken individual meal with two sides, cornbread and a regular fountain beverage drink, while supplies last. No coupon is needed.
Now through Tuesday, get the Big Bagel Bundle for $10.40 when you sign up for a coupon at www.brueggers.com/tax-day. A “$3.50 deduction” from the regular price, the bundle includes 13 bagels and two tubs of cream cheese.
The chain will offer free small to medium sandwich upgrade Tuesday to anyone who mentions the Tax Day deal.
On Monday and Tuesday, the chain has a $10.40 deal, which includes six pieces of its signature batter dipped fish, one family side and six pups.
Participating locations have a $5 Cuervo Blue Margarita special for Tax Day Tuesday. No coupon is required. Just ask your server for this special offer.
Tuesday through Thursday, buy one large cheese pizza, get one large cheese pizza free.
Adult buffets are $4.17 Tuesday with a coupon posted on the chain's Facebook page.
Tuesdays in April are Tea Tuesdays and from 2 p.m. to close, hot and cold teas are $1 at participating locations.
Mix and match two full-sized breakfast, lunch or dinner items for $10.40 at participating locations Tuesday through Thursday.
Get two Breakfast Burritos or two “Bell Ringer Double Cheeseburgers” for $10.40 Tuesday at participating locations. No coupon is required.
Get any one-topping pizza for $4.17 with the purchase of a beverage or take $2 off any custom pizza or salad with a beverage purchase Tuesday. These deals are only valid at restaurant and not available for third-party delivery.
Get a free medium sub with purchase of a full-price medium or large sub, chips and a drink Tuesday through Thursday with this coupon, which will be posted on the chain's Facebook and Twitter pages and sent to newsletter subscribers. Sign up for the newsletter at www.firehousesubs.com/newsletter.
Get any one-topping pizza for $4.17 with the purchase of a drink Tuesday.
Get some dough back — a $5 coupon code for online orders — by filling out a pizza return form on the chain’s Facebook page by Tuesday. The coupon codes will be sent by April 24.
Get a 16-inch traditional cheese pizza for $10.40 Tuesday at participating locations.
Through Tuesday, kids 12 and younger get a free kids meal eat with an adult purchase of $10 or more at participating locations.
Sunday through Tuesday, get a medium one-topping pizza for 15 cents with the purchase of a large one-topping pizza at regular price and promo code 18TAXDAY. This deal is for online carryout orders at participating locations. Not valid in Florida.
This Tax Day special is for “dependents.” From 3-9 p.m. Tuesday, kids 18 and younger bowl free with paying adults.
Participating restaurants in select locations across the country will have special Tax Day deals Tuesday. Check with your closest location. Download the McDonald’s smartphone app for additional savings.
Kids 12 and younger eat free Tuesday with the purchase of a regular-price adult entrée. Dine-in only.
Through Wednesday, take $4 off online orders $10 placed at www.noodles.com with promo code TAXDAY18.
Get 15% off takeout orders Monday and Tuesday with promo code TAXDAY on online orders and phone orders.
Take 17% off regular menu platters Tuesday at participating locations. No coupon is needed.
The first 75,000 people to sign up for the Potbelly Perks loyalty program, which includes downloading a smartphone app, will get a free sandwich. Current members will have a buy-one-get-one free sandwich offer loaded to their accounts Tuesday.
New and existing Toasty Points loyalty members get 10.40% off any purchase including catering orders Tuesday. New members also get a free four-inch sub for downloading the smartphone app.
Buy one regular-price drink and get the second for $1 Tuesday at the largest nationwide sushi chain. Learn more at www.rasushi.com/tax-day.
For Tax Day, the chain's usual Tuesday taco specials are available all day instead of only during select hours.
Get a free small original sandwich with purchase of chips and a medium drink Tuesday.
Get half-price cheeseburgers Tuesday. Limit five per customer at participating locations. Also every day after 8 p.m., Sonic has half-price shakes, floats and ice cream slushes.
The barbecue chain has an IRS — Irresistible Ribs Special — Tuesday with half-price Sweet & Smokey or House Dry-Rubbed Rib dinners for dine-in and takeout. No coupon is needed.
The Florida-based chain is giving customers a chance to “wine” down. Get glasses of wine for $5 as well as $3 mimosas and $3 beers Monday through Wednesday.
Through Tuesday, dine-in guests who visit participating locations will receive a free Kickin’ Shrimp coupon with the purchase of an adult entrée.
Download the Tropical Rewards app and register before Tuesday for “an exclusive reward,” the smoothie chain announced on Facebook.
Through Tuesday, get 15% off any in-Castle purchase.
Free massages
Now through April 21, get a free massage at participating HydroMassage locations nationwide on their user-controlled massage beds for the company’s 10th annual Tax Week promotion.
This deal also is available at Planet Fitness gyms that have the massage beds.
“It’s a great way to help people take a few minutes to relax, recover, and rejuvenate,” HydroMassage president Paul Lunter said in a statement. “With more locations participating this year, we hope that more people can experience the benefits of massage conveniently with HydroMassage.”
Visit www.hydromassage.com/taxday to find a list of participating locations and print a coupon. You’ll need to make an appointment for non-Planet Fitness locations and massages may be limited to 10 minutes.
Kelly Tyko is a consumer columnist and retail reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers and TCPalm.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. This column reflects her opinion. Read her Bargainista tips at TCPalm.com/Bargainista and follow her on Twitter @KellyTyko. Sign up for her weekly newsletter at www.tcpalm.com/featured-newsletter/bargainistabest.