Federal Tax Return Extension - Form 4868
What is an IRS Tax Extension?
A tax extension is an extension of time to file your tax return. However, it is not an extension of time to pay your entire tax bill.
Any taxpayer can get an automatic 6-month tax return extension by filing or efiling IRS Form 4868. It is easy to prepare and efile your federal tax extension on efile.com, and the online software generates Form 4868 for you.
Why Should I Efile a Tax Extension?
You may not have all of your tax documents ready in order to file a tax return. Therefore, if you need more time to prepare your tax return, you can request a deadline extension from the IRS.
If you do not have enough tax information to start and efile a tax return by April 17, you should efile an IRS extension by that date. However, you will need to find out how much you owe in taxes and submit payment (for at least 90% of your balance due) by April 17 in order to avoid penalties and interest. You can estimate your tax liability (or tax refund) with the Free Tax Calculator.
Is a Tax Extension Right for Me?
Before you efile a tax extension, consider this common misconception about tax extensions:
Myth: "Filing a tax extension postpones my tax deadline and my tax payments without IRS penalties."
Truth: "A tax extension only postpones your time to file a return, not your time to pay your taxes!"
Though you will incure IRS penalties for not paying your taxes on time, the penalties are much worse for not filing a tax extension or your tax return.
When Should I Prepare and Efile a Tax Extension?
You should efile a federal tax extension for Tax Year 2011 by April 17, 2012, the same day as the deadline to efile a 2011 Tax Return. If you efile a tax extension, your new deadline to efile a 2011 Tax Return will be October 15, 2012. After October 15, you can still prepare your tax return on efile.com, but you will need to print and mail it.
Tax Tip: If you owe taxes, but you have missed the deadline to efile an extension, you should efile your tax return now to avoid further penalties, fees and interest.
After April 17, you can no longer efile a tax extension.You will still be able to prepare and efile a tax return past the deadline. You can start and efile a tax return on efile.com by Tax Day. Before you efile, know the tax amount you owe. Once your tax return has been accepted by the IRS you can make changes to this return by filing a tax amendment and download Form 1040X. There is no deadline to amend a tax return, but there is a 3 year limit on claiming tax refunds. If you efile a tax extension, your new deadline to efile a 2011 Tax Return will be October 15, 2012.
Tax Tip: It takes almost as much time to efile a tax extension as it takes to start and efile a tax return, so you may as well prepare your return with the information you have and efile on time. Even if you don't have all your tax information by April 17, you can amend your tax return at any time, and you have up to 3 years after the original filing deadline to claim a tax refund.
Tax Tip: Even if you do not have the money to pay the taxes you owe you should efile a tax extension or tax return. The potential IRS fees and penalties for not efiling anything are going to be larger than on the taxes owed. So, pay as much or as little as you can but do efile an extension or tax return. The IRS will most likely add penalties and/or interest to the late payments.
Learn about tax payment options
How much do you owe in taxes?
Option 1: Estimate your taxes with the efile.com free tax calculator.
Option 2: Start a tax return on efile.com. Before you efile the return, you will know whether you owe taxes based on all the tax information you entered.
You should file your tax return by the time it is due, regardless of whether or not a full payment can be made with the return. Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for an IRS payment plan.
Start, prepare, and efile a tax return now
Please contact efile.com with any questions about tax extensions.
How Do I Efile a Tax Extension?
Starting and efiling a tax extension is similar to starting and efiling a tax return.
How to efile a federal Income Tax Extension:
Returning efile.com Users:
-
If you have previously started a tax return on efile.com and you now decide to efile an extension instead of a tax return, please sign in under "Returning Users" from the link below. After you have signed in, click on "Extension" next to "Preparing" near the top left of the screen. efile.com will import your already entered tax information. Simply follow the on-screen instructions and edit your tax information as needed.
New efile.com Users:
-
If you have NOT previously started a tax return on efile.com please start an account under "New Users" from the link below. After you have signed in, click on "Extension" next to "Preparing" near the top left of the screen and follow the on-screen instructions.
If you do not wish to efile a tax extension online you can download, print, fill out, and mail in Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. The efile.com tax software will generate this form and we will transmit it to the IRS for you. Watch video about IRS federal income tax extensions.
Start and efile a Federal Tax Return Extension
How to File a State Income Tax Extension
You may or may not be able to efile a state income tax extension with a federal tax extension on efile.com. Please find out how to submit a state tax extension for a particular state.
Potential IRS Penalties for not efiling or not Paying Taxes After the Deadline
Failure to efile/file a tax return or an IRS federal tax extension can be costly. If taxes are owed, a delay in filing may result in penalty and interest charges that could increase your tax bill by 25 percent or more. There is no penalty for the late filing of a return on which a refund is owed except for the delay of your refund. If you do not file (or efile) and/or pay your taxes on time, you may be subject to IRS penalties.
Important: The only way to avoid penalties is to efile or file a tax return and pay all taxes due by April 17.
A Note on IRS Interest: In case you have unpaid taxes for this or a previous tax year, you might owe tax penalites and interest.
Are there penalties if I expect a Tax Refund but do not file on time? No, there is no tax penalty for failure to efile a tax return or tax extension if you expect a federal or state tax refund. However, by waiting too long to efile, you can lose your refund. Please be aware that your return must be filed/efiled within three years of the due date.
Find more information on tax penalties, late interest payment or IRS fees here.
Can't pay the taxes you owe? Explore options to help you ease your tax burden now.
Automatic Tax Extension for the Military
If you are a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside of the United States (and Puerto Rico) at the time of your tax deadline (April 17) then you will automatically receive a 2-month extension of time to file your tax return. The new deadline will be June 15. The extension is for time to file, not time to pay.
If you are a member of the Armed Forces serving in an officially designated combat zone (or contingency operation) on April 17, you will receive an extension of time to file and time to pay. The extension will be for 180 days plus the number of days you had left to file before you entered service in the combat zone.
Learn more about deadline extensions for the military
top 