Even though the actual tax extension form for individuals or businesses are a lot simpler than your average tax form, taxpayers still have valid questions about how to complete it. This post continues a Tax Extension FAQ series that covers the most common tax extension-related questions and their answers.
Here’s a very timely question:
It’s literally the last minute and I need to e-file my tax extension. What time does the IRS consider to be midnight?
Answer:
I know what you’re thinking. Midnight is midnight. Stop wasting my time, I need to file my tax extension!
The truth is that this is an extremely popular, and legitimate question – especially on deadline days like today (the April 15 tax deadline).
Here’s the deal: when you e-file a tax extension through an authorized e-file provider, that provider will time stamp your request when they send it to the IRS. So, the location of your provider is what determines midnight.
Example: let’s say you live in Seattle and at 9:30 PM local time on April 15 you choose to use a provider located on the eastern time zone. Your extension request will be filed at 12:30 AM on April 16 – after the deadline.
Another example: lets’ say you live in Boston. It’s 2:30 AM on April 16 and you are finally sitting down to file an extension. If you file with a provider in the Pacific Time Zone, it will be stamped 11:30 PM April 15. Your extension will be filed before the deadline!
This is one of the main reasons I always recommend FileLater. They are located in San Diego – that’s in the Pacific Time Zone. So all of you procrastinators on the East Coast can use FileLater for 3 extra hours!
If you have any questions about filing a tax extension, please let me know in the comment section below. I’ll do my best to cover it in a future blog post.
