Delay in filing your tax return? Do this if you’re still not ready

Lying to the tax office or lying about your taxes is a criminal offense punishable by up to a few years in prison. Individuals face fines of as much as $250,000 and corporations as much as $500,000. In addition, chances are you’ll be responsible for costs related to the prosecution. Uncle Sam says don’t try this. Trust us, he’ll get you. It all is dependent upon the formalities and only every week before the tax return submission deadline. However, if you’re still in search of bills, have not made an appointment with your tax advisor, or discovered a serious tax problem that needs resolution, what do you do?

File for extension.

If you actually think there isn’t any way you possibly can file your tax return before the April 15 deadline, you possibly can submit IRS Form 4858, Automatic Extension of Time to File. This half-page form asks for your name, address and Social Security number. It’s so easy. This gives you one other six months to file your tax return.

One caveat: if you owe taxes, you still should pay the quantity you owe or an approximate amount. Do not complete the quantity here. The IRS warns that if it finds your estimate unreasonable, it might invalidate your application, exposing you to penalties for failing to file.

While tax law doesn’t strictly require you to pay your tax, to get more time to file you must or will owe more in the long term. The IRS will add interest to any tax bill unpaid in April and a late payment penalty.

More information may be found at www.irs.gov.