Personal Tax Extensions Online: What to Expect

• admin
• January 28, 2025
• 6 min read

Are you ready to electronically submit your personal tax extension (IRS Tax Form 4868) online using the FileLater system, which will extend your filing deadline for six months for your annual Federal income tax return (Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040NR, 1040NR-EZ, 1040-PR, or 1040-SS)?

Congratulations! You will give yourself until October 15 to file your income taxes. This article explains the steps you will need to take to file a tax extension online with the IRS-approved FileLater system.

Step 1

The IRS requires that you provide some personal information in order to request a tax extension online. This includes your name, address, Social Security Number (or ITIN) ― and the same information for your spouse if you are married filing jointly. Other complicated tax forms (including W-2s, 1099s, and prior year returns) are not required to get a tax extension. Additionally, you can be confident that all of your data is kept secure by FileLater and shared only with the IRS.

Step 2

In order to get a tax extension, you must estimate whether you expect to owe taxes or get a tax refund. Don’t worry, this isn’t as complicated as it may sound. You can use FileLater’s helpful tax calculator to estimate your situation. Note that many of our customers simply assume a similar tax situation to the previous year. If you expect to owe any tax, you will want to make a payment to avoid potential interest and late payment penalties assessed by the IRS. FileLater can also help you make a tax payment directly to the IRS via Electronic Funds Withdrawal (EFW) directly from your bank account.

Step 3

Once you submit your tax extension using FileLater, the system will electronically file (e-file) Tax Form 4868 to the IRS for approval. Note that FileLater is an Authorized IRS e-file Provider, which means that your transaction and your information are completely secure.

That’s All It Takes

A few days after you submit your tax extension request, FileLater will send you a confirmation email notifying that your tax extension (Form 4868) has been approved by the IRS. If, for any reason, your tax extension request is denied, FileLater will tell you why ― and you can resubmit for free after making the necessary changes. Keep in mind, nearly all rejections are caused by mistakes (misspellings or Social Security Numbers that don’t match IRS records). As long as you submit your information accurately and on-time, your tax extension will likely be approved ― which is why the IRS calls it an “automatic extension.”

If you have any questions, the FileLater support team is standing by to help you.

Start your personal tax extension now!