This year, you need not fear the fifteenth. Instead, the seventeenth is the day of loathing. Why? Well, the traditional filing deadline falls on a Saturday, which means the filing date is bumped to the following Monday. Two whole extra days!



Last minute filers tend to fall into two categories. They either knuckle down and get it over with or throw up their hands and file an extension for more time. Form 4868 is the filing you need to make if you want to extend.

The IRS automatically accepts the tax filing extension. It is also good for a six month period. This means you have until October 16th to file your personal returns. You can request a second extension then, but they are not often granted.

Taxpayers often misunderstand tax filing extensions. The extension only applies to the actual filing of the tax return. Unfortunately, it does not require to the payment of money. The IRS wants its cash now, so you need to pay something if you think you will owe.

Nothing is worse then preparing your return and then realizing you don't have enough money to pay the amount due. This leads to quandary and massive headache. Is there any potential relief?

The steps taken by most people is, well, to take no steps at all. They simply don't file in hopes that they can do so later when they have the cash to pay. This is not the best of ideas.

A better option is to go ahead and file the tax return. You should also send in what you can for payment. The IRS will then send you a notice that you have underpaid. You can then request a payment plan by going to the IRS website.

The advantage of this second approach is you save money. Since you have sent in at least some money, the amount you will receive penalties and interest on is less. This, of course, means you pay less ultimately.

Now, what if you are ready to file and can pay the tax debt? You can get money to the IRS in a couple of ways. The first is to send in a check as most do. The second is to pay by credit card. Just go to the IRS site to find authorized vendors to handle the payments.

Many people are happy to learn they are actually due a refund on their taxes. If you fall into this group, you might want to know when the heavenly money will be coming. Visit the site for the IRS and follow the link on the home page.

Filing taxes is one of those things we all tend to put off until the last moment. Well, the last moment is here!