Fillable Form IRS 4868

Form IRS 4866 is a form used by people to request for an extension in filing their federal individual tax returns for an additional six more months. The form, however, does not extend the time for a person to pay their tax bill.

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What is Form 4868?

Officially Application for Automatic Extension to Time to File U.S. Individual Tax Return, Form 4868 is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax form that gives taxpayers a six-month extension to file federal income tax returns. To qualify for an extension, you must complete the form and submit it to the federal tax agency no later than the original due date of the return. In general, April 15 is the due date of filing tax returns. If April 15 falls on a weekend or holiday, the next business day becomes the due date. The extension gives a taxpayer until October 15 to file his or her federal income tax return.

File Form 4868 when you need an extension for returns in the 1040 series including:

  • Form 1040, U.S. Individual Tax Return
  • Form 1040-SR, U.S. Tax Return for Seniors
  • Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return 
  • Form 1040-NR-EZ, U.S. Income Tax Return for Certain Nonresident Aliens with No Dependents
  • Form 1040-PR, Self-Employment Tax Return-Puerto Rico
  • Form 1040-SS, U.S. Self-Employment Tax Return
  • The extension prevents you from getting late-filing penalties as long as you file by the extended due date.

    You can send Form 4868 by mail to the address you send your tax return to or through the IRS’s official website.

    How to Fill Out Form 4868?

    Filling out Form 4868 requires your personal information and information about your income taxes. The form does not require that you explain the reason for the extension request. Nevertheless, provide all the required information accurately and honestly. Providing any false or incorrect information may result in the IRS rejecting your request or penalties.

    Part I — Identification

    Line 1 asks for your full name and address. If you plan to file a joint return, provide both your name and the name of your spouse in the order in which they will appear on the return. To receive correspondence regarding the extension at an address other than your own, provide that address. If you want your agent to receive the correspondence for you, provide his address and his name. If you changed your address after you filed your last return, report the change to the Social Security Administration before filing Form 4868 using Form 8822.

    Line 2 asks for your Social Security number.

    Line 3 asks for your spouse’s Social Security number.

    Part II — Individual Income Tax

    Line 4 asks for the total tax liability you expect to report on your income tax return. Write ‘0’ if you have no tax liability.

    Line 5 asks for the total payments you will be reporting on your income tax return.

    Line 6 asks for your total unpaid tax balance for the year. To estimate the amount, subtract your total 2019 payments from your estimate of total tax liability for 2019. If the amount on Line 5 is greater than the amount on Line 4, enter ‘0’.

    Line 7 asks for the total amount that you are paying the IRS.

    Line 8 has a checkbox that you can mark if you are living outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico on the original deadline for filing your income tax return.

    Line 9 has a checkbox that you can mark if you did not receive wages subject to U.S. income tax withholding and your return is due mid-June.

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