The deadline for filing your taxes is less than a week away. April 15th is the deadline for filing taxes for both the federal government and for the state of Missouri. For the federal government, if you would like an extension, you need to file for that extension before the deadline of April 15th.
The IRS says it’s important to know that you are only filing for an extension to file your return, not extra time to pay. If you do owe taxes, you still need to pay those by April 15th to avoid penalties and interest.
If you do file for an extension, that will give you until October 15th to file your return without penalties.
Three ways to request an extension
- Pay online and select extension. Taxpayers can pay what they owe using an online payment option, then click on extension as the reason for the payment. The taxpayer will receive a confirmation number of their extension for their records. There’s no need to file any additional forms.
- Use IRS Free File. All individual filers can use the program to request an automatic extension, regardless of income and at no cost to them. However, there are income requirements when using IRS Free File to file taxes.
- Request an extension by mail. File Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Taxpayers can file by mail, online with an IRS e-filing partner or through a tax professional. They must estimate how much tax is owed for the year on the extension form and subtract the taxes already paid for the filing year and pay the balance owed.