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Tax season is always a stressful time of the year. Regardless if someone files themselves or hires a professional, nobody relishes the thought of having to file their taxes. Most people manage to get their taxes filed before the deadline, but there are always some who cannot get their taxes filed on time and don’t file an extension.
The April 15th deadline for filing taxes for the 2013 tax year has passed. This sounds serious, but don’t panic. While you may incur some penalties for failing to file on time, acting quickly can help ensure that they won’t be too severe. If you have extenuating circumstances that prevented you from filing your taxes on time, you may even be able to get your penalties abated. Here’s what you need to know for filing your taxes after the deadline:
Your Refund Will Be Unaffected
If you are getting a refund, don’t worry, it will be perfectly safe. Unclaimed refunds can only be forfeited after three years, but the IRS won’t impose any penalties on your refund if you file late. The worst that can happen is that you will receive a refund later than you would have if you had made the deadline, and the IRS does not pay interest. There is nothing gained from having the IRS hold onto your refund, so if you are due a refund, file a tax return as soon as possible.
Penalties for Filing and Paying Late
The penalty for filing your taxes after the deadline is five percent of the unpaid tax bill for every month your tax return is late. These fines and penalties will not exceed 25 percent of your total bill, however. The penalty for failing to pay any taxes that you may owe is one-half of one percent of the unpaid balance.
If you owe taxes that you cannot pay, you should still file as soon as possible, and set up a payment plan to pay off what you owe in installments to minimize penalties. You can also pay a partial amount when you file to lower the balance—it’s a good idea to pay as much as you can. The important thing is that you make an effort and do your best to stick to any payment plan that you set up. Keep in mind that you will most likely need to fill out additional paperwork if you owe more than $50,000 and wish to pay in installments. The IRS will want to see financial statements to ensure that your payment plan is realistic.
Filing an Extension
While it is too late now to request an extension, for future reference you can receive a six-month extension of the tax deadline by filling out Form 4868. This will give you more time to file your taxes, but it won’t give you more time to pay any taxes that you may still owe. Still, it can help you avoid any penalties that come from filing late.
Whatever you do, you should never decide not to file or pay your taxes. You might be afraid of the penalties that come from missing the April 15 deadline, but the penalties for not filing at all are much worse. The most important thing is that you file, even if you file much later than the deadline. Your chances of getting into real legal or financial trouble become much greater the longer you wait to pay what you owe to the IRS.