How to Get an IRS Tax Extension to File Your Return Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

How to Get a Tax Extension for Filing Your Return to the IRS

What to do and not do if you need extra time to file your 1040

iStock / Getty Images Unless it's a birthday or anniversary, you probably don't circle May 17 on the calendar. Thanks to the , however, for filing federal income tax returns for 2020 and paying your tax bill. If you haven't filed your tax return by then, you can file for an automatic extension — but you still have to pay the taxes you owe by midnight on May 17. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Getting an extension to file your return

Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > What if you're still sorting through receipts for tax deductions, or the dog ate your W-2 form? Don't worry. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will automatically grant you an extension to file your tax return by Oct. 15. All you need to do is submit . You can file electronically via from your home computer or have your tax preparer do it for you. Want to file by paper form? Go right ahead. Just make sure it's postmarked by May 17. If you live outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico, you're allowed two extra months to file your return and pay any amount due without requesting an extension. The same is true for those in military or naval service outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico. However, you'll still owe interest on payments made after the regular due date. If you're on active military inside a combat zone, taxes are one thing you don't have to worry about — yet. You have 180 days after you left the combat zone, plus as many days you're in the combat zone. If you leave the combat zone on May 30, for example, you have 180 days to file and pay your taxes, plus the 13 days you're in a combat zone after May 17. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. . This way you won't have to file a separate extension form and you will receive a confirmation number for your records.
The IRS still wants you to pay your income tax by May 17. Even if you request an extension, you'll need to estimate the taxes you owe and pay at least 90 percent of those taxes by the May 17 deadline to .

Can t pay Still file for a tax extension

Even if you can't pay the tax, file for an extension. The combined penalty for failure to file taxes and failure to pay taxes is 5 percent of the amount you owe. The penalty for late payment is just 0.5 percent of the amount you owe per month, plus interest on the amount you owe. (The current interest rate for late payments is 3 percent.) If you're unable to pay taxes because of financial hardship, you can ask the IRS for an installment payment plan. In most cases, you can arrange one online with the tool. John Waggoner covers all things financial for AARP, from budgeting and taxes to retirement planning and Social Security. Previously he was a reporter for Kiplinger's Personal Finance and USA Today and has written books on investing and the 2008 financial crisis. Waggoner's USA Today investing column ran in dozens of newspapers for 25 years. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. More on money AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS