Request a Six-Month Extension

If you can’t complete your return by the tax deadline in April, you can apply for an extension by completing IRS Form 4868. You will still have to pay the amount you owe by April 17, but filing an extension can give you the extra time you need to finish the paperwork. Special extension qualifications are also granted in certain situations, like presidentially-declared natural disasters or military enrollment. These circumstances may not be common, but they will buy you some extra time.

Example. If your return is due on April 15, you will have until October 15 to file.

When to file

You must file Form 4868 by tax deadline in April. You can file Form 1040EZ, Form 1040A, or Form 1040 any time before the 6-month extension period ends.

Time to pay not extended

This extension is not an extension of time to pay. If you have not made all of your estimated payments for federal/state or you anticipate an additional balance due, please forward this payment to IRS by tax deadline in April. If you are unable to pay this balance due in full, you can still get the extension of time. However, the IRS may charge interest on the unpaid balance.  This extension will expire on six months after the intial tax deadline in April.

Post Office Hours

Check the hours of operation for your local post offices. Some post offices stay open late – even until midnight – on tax deadline in April, for all of you last-minute tax-filers. Your return must be date-stamped by the post office by tax deadline in April, so call around to find out the operating hours at locations near you.