Need more time to prepare your federal tax return?
- Complete and mail a federal form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (downloads as a PDF).
Please be aware that:
- An extension of time to file your return does not grant you any extension of time to pay your taxes.
- You should estimate and pay any owed taxes by your regular deadline to help avoid possible penalties.
- You must file your extension request no later than the regular due date of your return.
- Filing this form gives you until Oct. 15 to file a return.
- To get the extension, you must estimate your tax liability on this form and should also pay any amount due.
Get an extension when you make a payment
You can also get an extension by paying all or part of your estimated income tax due and indicate that the payment is for an extension using Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), or a credit or debit card. This way you won’t have to file a separate extension form 4868 and you will receive a confirmation number for your records.
