Frequently Asked Questions About Filing and Tax Extensions

Tax professionals accepted by the IRS into its electronic filing program are called "Authorized IRS e-File Providers." Each year, we are required to complete testing with the IRS to ensure that our software is operating properly and securely.

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Tax returns must be filed with the IRS by April 15, 2025. Need more time? With a FileSmart™ membership, you can file a six-month extension electronically at no extra cost. Alternatively, you can file an extension without a membership.

Log in here, go to My Filings, and choose the option that best fits your needs. We offer straightforward, all-inclusive pricing that ensures you receive the best value, with no hidden fees or surprises.

Our user-friendly DIY tax software will guide you step-by-step through a series of questions about your life and finances in 2024. Based on your answers, we’ll identify the documents you need and provide tailored recommendations to help maximize your refund.

Our system automatically imports details from your previous year’s tax return, such as your dependents and employment information. This saves you time by pre-filling information that may not have changed, so you can focus on completing your return quickly and easily.

Your security is our top priority. We use military-grade encryption and advanced security technology to protect your personal and financial information. You can file your taxes with confidence, knowing your data is safeguarded to the highest standards.

If your return is rejected, navigate to My Filings and select DIY. Follow the prompts to review the status of your tax return. We’ll provide step-by-step guidance to help you correct any issues and resubmit your return. If you need additional support, our team is ready to assist you.

If you owe taxes after completing your return, you’ll be prompted to submit your payment during the filing process. Alternatively, you can make a payment directly to the IRS by visiting: https://www.irs.gov/payments.

You can easily check the status of your refund by visiting the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/refunds.

We are an approved IRS e-file provider, which means we have been officially approved to electronically submit data directly to the IRS. Should you have concerns, this can be verified with the IRS directly. Additionally, we take data privacy and security very seriously and are required to pass security and privacy tests by the IRS to provide this service.

For your security, our system requires a username and password for every account that is established with an email address.

• If you’ve forgotten your username, click on the "Forgot Username" link, and it will be sent to the email address we have on file.
• If you’ve forgotten your password, click on the "Forgot Password" link, and instructions to reset it will be sent to your email.
• If our system is unable to find an account associated with your email address, please register here to create a new account.

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Yes, an extension of time to file your return does not grant you any extension of time to pay your tax liability. To find the best way to make a payment for you, visit https://www.irs.gov/payments

The IRS and most states require that you file either your tax return or for a tax extension, regardless of whether you owe taxes or not. However, there are no additional fees, penalties, or interest charges due on a refund tax return filed after the April 15th personal deadline.

We will email you through each step of the process when you file for a tax extension with us. In the event you don't find an email from us, it's important that you check your spam mail folder. Alternatively, you can always just log back into your account to check on the status of your extension.

Filing for an extension increases the amount of time you have to file your tax return, but it doesn't require that you file after the deadline. Theoretically, you could file a tax extension and then file your tax return minutes later without issue.

Yes, you can choose to file your taxes by the original tax deadline. In that case, the IRS will simply ignore the extension of time requested.

Our process guides you through what information you need to file for your tax extension. You will need basic personal information (name, address, Social Security Number) and in the event you are planning to make a payment with your extension, you may need some taxable income information. It's also helpful to have your previous year's tax return on hand during the extension request process. If you find yourself needing to track down some information to complete your extension, our system automatically saves whatever data you've already entered so you can easily come back to complete the process.

States that automatically grant state extensions when you file a federal extension:

Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin

States that automatically grant state extensions, regardless of whether you file a federal extension:

Alabama, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah, Virginia

States where you must file a separate state tax extension to be granted one:

New York, Washington, D.C.

States that have no income tax and therefore no state extension:

Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming

Please check with your state's tax office for more details.

There are no IRS requirements for taxpayers to be eligible to file for an income tax extension. The IRS doesn't even require you to give a reason for wanting the extension. That said, all tax extensions must be approved and accepted by the IRS. The IRS matches the information submitted with the extension and compares that information with what they have on file for you. The vast majority of rejections are due to taxpayers submitting data that doesn't match up to IRS records, so please be thoughtful when entering your information.

We will provide you with our confirmation number, as well as an IRS confirmation number when your extension is approved by the IRS. The confirmation number will be emailed, as well as available when you login to our system.

Not true, the IRS doesn't audit e-filed returns any more than it audits paper returns, or vice versa.

Yes. The IRS generally requires different tax extension applications for personal extensions and business extensions. The exception is for single-member LLC businesses. If you own a single-member LLC, then you can file a personal income tax extension (Form 4868) which will extend both your personal and business tax deadline.

No! This is one of the most common misconceptions about tax extensions. The IRS will grant you a six-month extension, no questions asked, as long as you fill out the correct form on time (that's Form 4868 for individual income tax extensions, and Form 7004 for businesses).

You are not obligated to make a tax payment when you file for your tax extension. However, if you have a tax balance due when you file, penalties or late fees may be assessed if you do not pay the amount owed by the original filing deadline.

Once you e-file your extension, your information is sent to the IRS for approval. If you are not approved, a notification will be sent giving the reason why the IRS rejected your tax extension application, and we will help to resolve your issue. You can resubmit your application as many times as necessary at no additional charge. However, we do not provide a refund once the application is processed.

The IRS' late payment penalty is 0.5% of the taxes not paid, charged per month, up to a maximum of 25%. For example, if you have $2,000 of unpaid taxes, the IRS may charge you $10 per month as a late payment penalty.

The good news is that as long as your federal extension is approved, you will avoid the costly late filing penalty. However, since you are unable to pay your tax liability, you may be charged interest on the amount you owe, which is generally charged at a rate of 3%-5% per year. You will be able to calculate any interest owed when you file your final tax return.

Yes, the IRS will generally work with individuals and businesses who cannot afford to pay their tax liability by negotiating payment plans or installment agreements. To discuss payment plans, you should contact the IRS directly by submitting IRS Form 9465 (Installment Agreement Request) or by calling 1-800-829-1040.

Once you submit your federal tax extension, it is automatically routed to the IRS for approval. If your application is rejected by the IRS, you'll be able to fix any errors and resubmit to the IRS for approval.

As an authorized e-file provider, we can submit your extension request on your behalf, however, we do not process any tax payments. If you owe taxes to the IRS, visit them directly in order to coordinate the payment of your tax. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/ways-to-pay-your-tax-bill

If your tax extension is rejected by the IRS, you can fix any errors and resubmit at no additional charge.

Yes. The AGI is only needed if you are making an online tax payment to the IRS. If you did not file taxes last year (or do not have your AGI) and need to make a tax payment, we recommend simply filing your extension online and paying the IRS direct via one of the methods specified on their website.

If, on the regular due date of your return, you are "out of the country" and are a U.S. citizen or resident, you are allowed 2 extra months to file your return and pay any amount due without requesting an extension.

For a calendar year return, this is June 15. File Form 4868 and be sure to check the box on line 8 if you need an additional 4 months to file your return. "Out of the country" means:

1. You live outside the United States and Puerto Rico and your main place of work is outside the United States and Puerto Rico, or

2. You are in military or naval service outside the United States and Puerto Rico. If you qualify as being "out of the country", you will still be eligible for the extension even if you are physically present in the United States or Puerto Rico on the regular due date of the return.

If you have missed the deadline for an extension and still haven't completed your taxes, do them ASAP! This will help minimize IRS penalties and interest owed. Remember, if you owed taxes, the money was due to the IRS by April 15th. Even if you can only send in a partial payment, that will help reduce the amount of penalties and interest you owe.

As long as your Electronic Postmark Timestamp above is before the deadline in your timezone, your extension will not be considered late, even if it takes a long time to submit or to be acknowledged.

When the Internal Revenue Service Acknowledges your submitted Application, they may reject it because it contains errors. If these errors can be corrected, you may VISIT OUR SITE and re-submit your information. As long as you re-submit your application within FIVE CALENDAR DAYS of the rejection, your Electronic Postmark Timestamp will be the same, and, if accepted, your Application will be on time, even if it was re-submitted after the April 18th Deadline. Some errors can't be corrected - usually if there's a problem with your Taxpayer Identification Number, or if an application or return has already been accepted for your Taxpayer Identification Number. In these cases, we recommend that you contact your local Internal Revenue Service Office - https://www.irs.gov/help/contact-your-local-irs-office.  If the Internal Revenue Service reports any error, we will email you with an explanation of the errors and whether you can correct them.

filetax.com ensures transparent pricing without hidden fees. E-file your tax extension now to enjoy peace of mind through instant submission and confirmation of receipt and to avoid potential late filing fees.

To print and mail is always free and our software helps you prepare the appropriate forms for you to do so.

We charge a processing fee for e-filing, which starts at $9.95 when you join FileSmart membership and goes up from there depending on form type and other factors.

Pricing subject to change.