Posted on

How Long Is a Tax Extension?

tax extension

A tax extension grants you an extra six months to file but doesn’t give you any extra time to pay.

A tax extension gives you an extra six months to file your return.

You must file an extension by April 15th (or whatever the normal tax deadline is for that year). It then grants you an extra six months to file, making your new deadline October 15th.

This year for 2018 taxes, for example, if you requested an extension by April 15, 2019, your return is due by October 15, 2019.

Note an extension only give you an extra six months to file, it does not give you an extra six months to pay.

When you request an extension, you will have to estimate your tax liability and pay any tax due or else you could be subject to failure-to-pay penalties starting April 15th. Continue reading “How Long Is a Tax Extension?”

Posted on

2010 Income Tax Refunds Only Available Until April 15, 2014

If you haven’t filed your 2010 return yet you have less than a year to get your refund

Most taxpayers are frightened of the IRS, and understandably so. Not only does the agency force us to go through the tortuous process of filing taxes every year, but it also has the power to implement some pretty drastic punishments when taxes go unpaid. It can levy your wages and bank accounts and force you to sell or mortgage assets to pay your tax debt.

But what most people don’t know is that the IRS is surprisingly lenient when it comes to minor offenses, such as filing a late return. Most late filers assume that they will get hit with massive penalties, so they try to hide from the IRS and avoid filing their taxes for even longer.

Doing so, however, might actually cause them to sacrifice a refund. Late filers are more likely than normal filers to receive a refund, and the tax code’s statute of limitations allows you to claim a refund for three years after the original due date of the return.

That means that the last chance to claim a refund from your 2010 return is April 15, 2014. That’s less than a year away! Take note: after next April 15th your refund belongs to the U.S. Treasury and you absolutely will not be able to claim it. Continue reading “2010 Income Tax Refunds Only Available Until April 15, 2014”

Posted on

Can I Get a Refund from 2009 Taxes?

You must have filed by April 15, 2013 in order to claim your 2009 tax refund.

$917 million. That’s how much money in 2009 refunds was just sitting in the Treasury waiting to be claimed.

The IRS announced that there were an estimated 984,000 people who didn’t claim their 2009 refunds. That’s an average refund of $932 per person! If that’s your money don’t let it go to waste.

You can still get your 2009 refund, but not for much longer. You must file your 2009 return by April 15, 2013 in order to receive it.

According to the statute of limitations, you have three years after a return’s original due date to file and still get a refund. After three years you can still file, but you won’t see any money. Your refund now belongs to the Treasury. Continue reading “Can I Get a Refund from 2009 Taxes?”