How to Extend Federal Income Tax Returns

File IRS Tax Extension, Use Form 4868; E-file Form 1040 Online, Mail

Apr 3, 2009

Individuals request tax return extension several ways. See how to extend federal income tax return online, by phone, mail. Where to mail paper form, IRS mailing address.

There are several ways to extend a federal income tax return. Regardless of the method, a hard copy of Form 4868 is helpful to use as a worksheet to compute estimated tax liability before filing the extension. Any tax due should be paid with the extension request in order to avoid interest and late filing penalties. See the article Form 4868 Individual Income Tax Return Extension for instructions on downloading the form.

How to File IRS Tax Extension – Extend Form 1040 Online, by Phone, by Mail

According to the IRS, the three ways to request an individual federal tax return extension are as follows:

How to Request Tax Extension Online – E-File with IRS, irs.gov

A tax return can be extended online by using tax software like TurboTax or Tax Act or having a tax professional file it for you. When a tax return extension is filed online, payment can be made electronically or by check.

Extend Federal Income Tax Returns – Pay with Credit, Extend Over the Phone

Individuals can pay their tax liability with a credit card if the amount due is greater than $1. Paying the estimated tax due in this manner will extend your tax return. The IRS accepts the following credit cards:

Paying tax by credit card can be done by phone or over the internet. Two providers are currently authorized to offer this service: Official Payments Corporation and Link2Gov Corporation. See page 4 of the Form 4868 instructions (2008 version) for phone numbers and websites.

Note that anyone who chooses this option should not also mail in a paper form. When the payment is made, make sure to note the confirmation number for your records.

Extend Federal Income Tax Returns by Mail – Form 4868

The low-tech way to extend a personal tax return is to file Form 4868 by mail. Complete Form 4868 and mail it to the appropriate IRS address listed in the form instructions.

Where to Mail Form 4868 to Request Tax Return Extension – IRS Mailing Address

There are over ten different IRS mailing addresses for individual tax return extensions. Those locations are listed on page 4 of the Form 4868 instructions (see link above). Different mailing addresses are indicated based on state or territory residency. Note that the chart indicates different mailing addresses if Form 4868 is not accompanied by a payment.

Form 1040 isn’t the only return that can be extended using Form 4868. See the article Form 4868 Individual Income Tax Return Extension (link in first paragraph above) for a list of returns that this form will extend.

Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

The copyright of the article How to Extend Federal Income Tax Returns in Personal Tax Planning is owned by Lena Gott. Permission to republish How to Extend Federal Income Tax Returns in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.