What Is IRS Tax Form 4868?

IRS Form 4868 is the Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Income Tax Return.

If you are not able to file your federal individual income tax return by the due date, you may be able to get an automatic 6-month extension of time to file. To do so, you must file Tax Form 4868 by the original due date for filing your tax return (April 18th for the 2011 tax season).  

Form 4868 is a tax extension for individuals reporting their income to the IRS. This includes all taxpayers who file 1040s, contractors who file 1099s, as well as single member LLCs and Schedule C Sole Proprietors. Filing an  individual tax extension will extend your tax deadline to October for the following tax returns:

• Tax Form 1040
• Tax Form 1040A
• Tax Form 1040EZ
• Tax Form 1040NR
• Tax Form 1040NR-EZ

It’s important to note that submitting Form 4868 does not extend the time for payment of tax, which is still owed by the original due date of your return. You will need to give an estimate of your tax due when filing for a tax extension ― and you can pay none, all, or part of your estimated income tax due using a credit card or checking/savings account.

The IRS will accept corrections to tax extension requests within a certain time period. If you chose to e-file Form 4868 through the FileLater system and it is rejected for any reason, you can correct and resubmit it at no extra charge.

FileLater supports taxpayers who are out of the country and have foreign addresses. However, there are exceptions pertaining to foreign corporations with no office or place of business within the United States, as well as certain domestic corporations and certain partnerships.