How to File a Tax Extension (and What It Doesn't Do)
Need more time to file? An extension is free, automatic and easy to get. But it only extends the time to file your return, not the time to pay. Here's how to do it without running up penalties.
By the Enrolled Agents and CPAs at A&W Tax Services · Updated
How to get an extension
- File Form 4868 by the April due date, online or on paper, for an automatic six-month extension to October 15
- Or make a payment through IRS Direct Pay or with a debit or credit card and mark it as an extension payment. The IRS treats that as your extension request
- Businesses use Form 7004. Partnerships and S corporations extend from March 15 to September 15
- No reason is needed, and the IRS doesn't approve or deny it
An extension to file, not to pay
Any tax you owe is still due by the original deadline. Estimate your tax and pay as much as you can with the extension. Interest and the failure-to-pay penalty, 0.5% a month, apply to anything unpaid after April. But the extension avoids the much larger failure-to-file penalty, 5% a month, so file one even if you can't pay.
Extra time you may already have
- U.S. citizens living abroad get an automatic two-month extension to June 15, and can request more
- When FEMA declares a disaster, such as a hurricane or flood in the Houston area, the IRS often postpones filing and payment deadlines for affected counties automatically
- Members of the military serving in a combat zone get additional time
When an extension makes sense
Extensions are common and don't increase your audit risk. They're useful when you're waiting for a K-1 or corrected 1099, when records are missing, or when a complicated situation needs more time to get right. Filing a careful return in the fall is better than filing a wrong one in April and amending later.