Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File
Form 4868 buys you until mid-October to file your 1040. The extension is automatic, no reason required, but it extends only the filing, not the payment.
This is the genuine IRS PDF, unmodified. Source: IRS official page.
What is 4868?
Form 4868 grants an automatic six-month extension to file your individual return, moving the usual April 15 deadline to October 15. It asks for little: identity, an estimate of your total tax, what you have paid, and the balance you are paying with the request.
Money is the catch: tax owed is still due in April. Interest runs on any unpaid balance, and paying less than 90% of the real liability can add a late-payment penalty. An extension protects you from the much larger late-filing penalty.
Who files 4868?
- Anyone not ready to file by April 15
- Taxpayers waiting on late K-1s or corrected 1099s
- Americans abroad wanting more time beyond their automatic June 15 date
- People whose records were disrupted and need the summer to reconstruct them
How to fill out 4868
- Fill in your name, address, and SSN (and spouse’s on a joint return).
- Estimate your total tax liability for the year as accurately as you can.
- Enter payments already made and the amount you are sending with the form.
- Download and mail it by the April deadline with any payment, or pay online at irs.gov and mark the payment as an extension, which files it for you with no paper at all.
Quick fill 4868 on this page
Prefer to see the form itself while you type? Open 4868 in the editor to fill it on the actual pages, add a signature, and download.
Frequently asked questions
Does the extension give me more time to pay?
No. Payment is due in April regardless. The extension only protects you from the late-filing penalty, which at 5% per month is ten times the late-payment rate.
Can the IRS deny it?
It is automatic when filed on time with a reasonable tax estimate. You get no approval letter; silence means it worked.