Tax Day for Citizens Abroad is Coming Up!

Everyone knows Tax Day is in April. Well, unless you get an extension of time to file with Form 4868, that is.

But did you know some Americans automatically receive a two-month extension each year, making their tax day June 15th instead? And unlike the Form 4868 extension, those who receive this extension also have the extra two months to pay any taxes owed. Unfortunately, though, this isn’t something just anyone can apply for: it can only be used by U.S. citizens and residents abroad.

Those who are eligible for this two-month extension include

• Those living outside the United States and Puerto Rico whose main place of business is also outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico and
• Those in the military or naval service who are on duty outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
• If you’re serving in a combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area, see this IRS publication for more info on deadline extensions for your taxes.

If you’re married and filing a joint return, either you or your spouse can qualify for this extension and receive more time to file. However, if you file separately, only the spouse who qualifies for the extension may get two more months to file.

So if the above conditions apply to you, your personal tax deadline is June 15, 2017, for the 2016 tax year. To avoid any confusion or late fees, attach a statement to your return explaining which situation qualifies you for the extension.

You can find more info about this extended tax day deadline here! And be sure to stay tuned with ExpressIRSForms for all your tax-filing information!

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Not Ready to File Your 1040? Get an Extension!

Okay, everyone, today’s the day! It’s Tax Day 2017, the deadline to have your 2016 personal tax return filed with the IRS.

Unless…

If you’re not ready to file, you still have options. Well, one option. Hmm, unless you decide to go rogue and not do anything. Okay, well, you have one legal option that doesn’t end in you owing lots of money in fines to the IRS. And that option is: Form 4868!

Form 4868, a.k.a. the Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return is just that: an application you can use to get an automatic six extra months to file your individual or joint tax return. It’s very easy to fill out; all you have to do is provide your basic taxpayer information (name, address, SSN) and an estimate of the taxes you owe or will receive as a refund. That’s it - you don’t even need to have a reason for why you need more time to file.

Keep in mind that if you’re filing a joint personal tax return, you can still use Form 4868, but you will need your spouse’s taxpayer information (name and SSN as it appears with the IRS) as well. You’ll also want to keep in mind that Form 4868 only extends the amount of time you have to file your tax return forms; it doesn’t extend the deadline to pay any taxes you may owe.

Now, Form 4868 is also due today, but as you can gather from the information needed, it won’t take nearly as long as completing your 1040 Form. In fact, if you e-file it with our sister product, ExpressExtension, you’ll be done in just a few minutes and receive email confirmation of your extension from the IRS within 15 minutes to an hour!

So what are you waiting for? Stop rushing through that 1040 and take a break to go file your 4868 application form. Then, you’ll be able to come back to your tax return anytime between now and October and finish it when you can give it the attention it deserves. Because goodness knows the IRS isn’t crazy about incorrectly completed or filed returns.

If you have any questions about getting started with ExpressExtension, give us a call and we’ll connect you with one of the friendly EE team members, or contact them directly at (803) 514-5155.

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