ST. LOUIS — Monday is Tax Day, the federal deadline to get your individual taxes filed and submit your payment. But if you still need more time, you may want to consider filing for an extension.
An extension gives you until October to gather your tax documents and get your return in order before sending it in. It does not give you an extension for you to pay your taxes. So if you are going to owe money, you still need to get that done by Monday to avoid incurring additional penalties.
About one in 10 tax filers get an extension every year, according to the IRS, and you don't need an excuse to get one. If you qualify, you'll have your extension granted automatically.
To find out if you qualify, you can use the IRS's Free File program, which partners with multiple software companies to help with the application process.
"Taxpayers can also request more time by paying all or part of their estimated income tax due and indicate that the payment is for an extension," the IRS website says. "They can do this using Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), or a debit, credit card or digital wallet."
While some people may file for an extension, some people already have more time to file their returns.
In Illinois, people affected by the severe storms and tornados last December have until May 16 to file their taxes.
The delay is available for the following counties: Bond, Cass, Coles, Effingham, Fayette, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, and Shelby.
For more information on the tax filing delay, click here.
If filing a return via postal mail, taxpayers should write “Tornado-December 2021” on the top of their returns in red.
If filing electronically, taxpayers must notify the department that their return will be delayed by emailing REV.DisasterRelief@Illinois.gov. They should provide their full name, account number (if using a social security number, only include the last four digits), mailing address, and an estimate of when they believe they can file or pay their taxes.
The IRS provided other information for those who might have an extension already:
Combat zone taxpayers
Military service members and eligible support personnel serving in a combat zone have at least 180 days after they leave the combat zone to file their tax returns and pay any tax due. This includes those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones. A complete list of designated combat zone localities can be found in Publication 3, Armed Forces' Tax Guide, available on IRS.gov.
Combat zone extensions also give affected taxpayers more time for a variety of other tax-related actions, including contributing to an IRA. Various circumstances affect the exact length of the extension available to taxpayers. Details, including examples illustrating how these extensions are calculated, are in the Extensions of Deadlines section in Publication 3.
Per IRS documents, some military extensions are automatic and some are not.
Taxpayers outside the United States
U.S. citizens and resident aliens who live and work outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico have until June 15, 2022, to file their 2021 tax returns and pay any tax due.
The special June 15 deadline also applies to members of the military on duty outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico who do not qualify for the longer combat zone extension. Affected taxpayers should attach a statement to their return explaining which of these situations apply.
Though taxpayers abroad get more time to pay, interest -- currently at the rate of 4% per year, compounded daily -- applies to any payment received after this year's April 18 deadline. For more information about the special tax rules for U.S. taxpayers abroad, see Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad, on IRS.gov.