Form 4868, is used to extend the time to file an individual tax return. While the normal due date for taxes is April 15th (during most tax years), Form 4868 extends the due date by 6 months to October 15th. Filing Form 4868 only extends the time a taxpayer has to submit their income tax return to the IRS, it does not extend the time the taxpayer has to pay any amount that may be due. Even if the extension is filed, if payment is not received by the deadline the taxpayer may still incur interest and penalties associated with late payment. To be considered timely paid, the IRS must receive the taxpayer’s payment on or before the April 15th due date. Electronic payment requests may be sent with the extension in order to help the taxpayer pay their required taxes online. Since the application is sent electronically, we recommend sending the application a couple of days before the due date to give the payment time to process.
NOTE: Most states can e-file extensions. In order to create extension for states, you must create the return and the state return. You will need to create the extension within the state return and mark it for electronic filing. Then, it will appear in the extension transmission table. If filing a federal and state extension, there will be two separate entries in the extension transmission table. If it is a state extension, the STATE column should indicate the state.