The government in the United States follows the payment of taxes by all citizens and entities really closely. Taxes payment in the country is associated with complex paperwork, and sometimes declarants just cannot prepare all forms in time.
If you cannot file the required documents before the deadline, the IRS, or Internal Revenue Service, offers you to complete the IRS Form 4868 to extend the period when you can submit your tax return and other records to count your taxes.
It is crucial to mention that with this document, you do not get the postponement of payments. You only receive the additional time to create your tax return, prepare other relevant forms, and submit them (normally, half a year more).
If you do not cover all your taxes in time, you will get various penalties. However, if you have a solid reason why your payments were not made before the deadline, you will be able to contest the applied penalties.
You do not have to explain anything: the IRS does not ask for reasons why you request to postpone the deadline. The only essential thing you need to do is to estimate your tax liabilities properly. If you fail to do that and the IRS discovers your miscount, your submitted form will not be accepted or will be canceled.
While most of the time, the document is submitted by individuals who are employees in various entities or freelancers, some small businesses’ owners and sole proprietors can complete the template and ask for a delay, too.
You have two ways of document submission: via regular mail or via the “e-file” system. Please note that if you file the record for the fiscal year (not calendar), you can submit the paper only by mail.
If you prefer submission in person, the last page of the template has a list of addresses. You have to choose your state and send the record via regular mail or delivery services (like DHL or FedEx; the list is included in the form’s last page as well).
Filing through the “e-file” (the electronic system issued by the IRS) is easy. You can do it by yourself or hire professionals who specialize in this work and have access to the system.
Normally, the document submission deadline is on April 15 for those who consider taxation for a calendar year. If you file for a fiscal year, terms may vary.
The only case when you can omit the form filing is if you pay your taxes electronically, via the IRS system. The period and sum to pay will be counted automatically.
IRS cares about its declarants: the official template itself contains thorough instructions on the form completion and an explanation of every line that you should fill out. You can see all the details below.
Although you can find the template on the official website of the IRS, you can avoid waste of time, additional links, and internet surfing by using our form-building software. With it, you will obtain the proper file easily.
You have to choose whether you are requesting an extension for taxes for a calendar year or fiscal year. If you file the form for a fiscal year, insert the dates.
You should add your name to a designated blank line if you submit the record alone. If you and your wife or husband plan to file together, insert both names.
If your name has changed for some reason since the last declaration filing, you have to notify the Social Security Administration about the change.
Below the names, write the address with the city, state (written as two letters), and postal code. If your address is different from the one you stated before, you also should provide Form 8822 to the IRS.
Next comes your social security number (or SSN). Insert the number in a relevant blank line. If you are filing the document jointly, add your spouse’s SSN nearby as well.
You have to approximately count the total amount of taxes to pay this year. You can use the data you inserted in other templates (IRS 1040-PR, IRS 1040-SR, and others).
If you have covered at least something from your tax liabilities, insert how much you have already paid.
You should subtract the already paid amount from the total liability and write the result here.
If you plan to cover a part of your tax debt when you file the form, write how much you will pay. If you cannot pay anything now, do not worry; you can still ask for an extension.
If you are a resident of the United States but currently are not in the country, mark an empty box with a tick.
Those who filed the 1040-NR or 1040-NR-EZ forms and did not get wages that should be counted in their taxes have to mark a box with a tick here.
