Fortunately for you, federal tax-filing extensions are pretty much automatic. Unfortunately for you, if you are seeking an extension because you owe taxes but don’t have the money to pay at the moment, you are required to pay on time. This is the case even when you request an extension to file your return. If you apply for an extension to file your return and owe money but do not pay by the initial filing deadline, you still will owe interest and penalties, filing extension or not.
The deadline to file your 2017 tax return is April 17. The statutory deadline in any year is April 15 or the next business day after April 15 if the statutory deadline falls on a weekend day or a holiday. Usually, then, the filing deadline for this year would be Monday, April 16. However, this year April 16 is a District of Columbia holiday – Emancipation Day – that has the same effect on the tax filing deadline as if it were a federal holiday, and so 2017 returns are due on April 17. If you file for an extension, your return is due on October 15, 2018.
How Do I File for an Extension?
There are several different ways that you can request an extension of the deadline to file. You can file electronically for free through a number of different services. Individual taxpayers also can file Form 4868 by mail. Both methods must be filed by the deadline for filing your return. Again, if you owe money, that payment must be made when you file your extension request by the deadline for filing your return. Otherwise, you will owe interest and penalties that begin accruing once the deadline for filing your return passes.
You can avoid filing for an extension but still be given an extension of time for filing your return by paying all or some of your tax due and indicate that the payment is for an extension. You can do this using Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or by paying with a credit or debit card. This way you won’t have to file a separate extension form, and you will receive an electronic confirmation of the extension for filing your return.
There are special exceptions that apply if you are in the military and serving in a combat zone or some other qualified hazardous duty area, as well as for citizens living outside the United States. For military personnel in a combat zone, the extension of the deadline for filing a return also extends the deadline for payment of any taxes owed.
Myriad other options are available for corporations and businesses, depending upon the circumstance that necessitates the need for an extension.
Contact Tax Attorney Jeff Cohen, Attorney at Law for Help Filing a Tax Extension
If your tax return is not going to be finished on time and you need a filing extension in the Atlanta or Marietta areas but are not certain for which kind of extension you should apply or how to do so, you should consult an attorney. Contact tax attorney Jeff Cohen, Attorney at Law. Call me today at (404) 814-0000 or use my online contact form.
