Tax Day Freebies 2014: 14 Free Things You Can Score After Filing Your Taxes

Tuesday, April 15, may be a day where you have to shell out some serious cash to Uncle Sam, but Tax Day doesn’t have to be such a drag.

A handful of restaurants and retailers are taking advantage of the national Internal Revenue Service (IRS) deadline and giving out freebies or special deals, which soften the blow if you’ve had to itemize your past year of finances.

But handouts on Tax Day aren’t just for their promotional value; merchants actually treat freebies as taxable sales. According to Forbes, retailers treat free goods given away to customers as a “promotional expense.”

“The IRS can’t impute income when you get something discounted or for free” so “the state gets the tax” for the giveaway, Forbes wrote.

So whether you got a nice return or had to fork over dough to the IRS, here are some freebies to take advantage of Tuesday.

FOOD

Arby’s: Free snack-sized curly fries using this coupon.

Boston Market: “Tax Day Deal Chicken Meal” two half-chicken individual meals with a choice of two home-style sides and freshly baked cornbread for just $10.40. No coupon necessary.

California Tortilla: Free queso and chips to customers who use the password “Taxes Shmaxes.”

Chili’s: Free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of an adult entrée or free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entrée from April 13 to April 17 using this coupon.

Dunkin' Donuts: Free Turbo Shot on Tuesday with coupon on the Dunkin' Donut app for Android and iPhone.

Great American Cookies: Free chocolate chip cookie

Hard Rock Café: Free dinner entrée from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for anyone who sings a song on Hard Rock Cafe’s live music stage in front of the entire restaurant.

McDonald’s: Buy one Big Mac, get a second one for 1 cent.

Outback Steakhouse: Free Bloomin’ Onion on Monday evening.

Pinkberry: If you bring in a Pinkberry receipt from the previous day, now through Sunday, you’ll receive 50 percent off any size frozen yogurt.

Schlotzsky’s: Free original small sandwich with the purchase of chips and a 32-oz. fountain drink on April 15. No coupon necessary.

Sonic: Half-price drinks and Slushies all day on April 15.

SERVICES

HydroMassage: Free 10-minute massages on April 14 and 15.

Office Depot: Free shredding for up to 5 lbs. of paper using this coupon.

[UPDATE: 4/15/2014, 8:58 a.m. EST]: We're going to add additional deals and freebies as the day goes on.

Living Social: $5 off next purchase of $15 or more using promo code "TAXDAY5."

DoubleTree by Hilton will be handing out its signature chocolate chips at locations in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, two of America's highest-taxed cities, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.