Where to File Your Extension Form 4868

Today is the day you are required to file your tax return Form 1040 with the Internal Revenue Service.  However, if you need more time, you can file an extension on Form 4868.  Her is the link to the Form on the IRS website:  http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf

I know this is last minute, but just in case you cannot get on the IRS.gov website I thought I would show you where to mail your extension for filing your tax returns to:

Where To File a Paper Form 4868

If you are mailing a check to make a tax payment with your Form 4868 then based on where you live, mail your Form 4868 and check to:

Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, SouthCarolina, Tennessee, Virginia –

                     mail to:  Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 1300 Louisville, KY 40293-1300

Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia

                         mail to: Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 37009 Hartford, CT 06176-0009

Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas

                           mail to: Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 1302 Charlotte, NC 28201-1302

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico,

Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

                             mail to: Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 7122 San Francisco, CA 94120-7122

If you are NOT making a payment with your Form 4868 Extension of Time to File Form 1040, then you can male the Form 4868 to:

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service Center

Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

                 maile to:  Kansas City, MO 64999-0045

Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,

New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia

                  mail to:     Department of the Treasury

                                     Internal Revenue Service  Center

                                     Kansas City, MO 64999-0045

Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas

                  mail to:     Department of the Treasury

                                     Internal Revenue Service Center

                                     Austin, TX 73301-0045

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico,

Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

                 mail to:  Department of the Treasury

                                 Internal Revenue Service Center

                                Fresno  CA 93888-0045

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana,

Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsi

                 mail to:    Department of the Treasury

                                   Internal Revenue Service Center

                                  Fresno, CA 93888-0045

This information is available on the IRS website at www.irs.gov but the site seems to be very slow today, so I thought you might need this.

How to File an Extension for Your Individual 1040 Tax Return

For those of you who have not yet realized that your annual 1040 tax return is due in the next few days, I thought I would just mention it so you don’t get duped.

If you are not ready to file your tax return, you can file Form 4868 to request what is called an Automatic Extension for Time to File. It’s ‘Automatic’ because you just file the form and you automatically get the extension. You then attach a copy of the Form 4868 with your completed tax return when you do file it.

The Automatic extension will give you 6 more months to file your return. The extension avoids the penalty for not filing on time only.

Warning: This does not give you 6 more months to pay your taxes!

The extension allows you to estimate as best you can at the moment the taxes you owe and pay what you think you owe. If you think your W-2 withholding or Estimated tax payments have covered your tax liability, your estimate would be zero owed and you may even expect a refund. You will not get a refund until you file the completed return and the return shows a refund.

If you fail to pay your tax owed, or estimate incorrectly, you could owe when you file your return. If so, you will also pay some penalties and interest for not paying your taxes by the deadline of April 15th. Again, the extension only keeps you from paying a penalty for not filing on time.

How to:

1. Go to the IRS website at www.IRS.gov

2. Search for Form 4868 (this link should take you there directly:  Form 4868)

3. Print form, fill out form, sign and date the form

4. MAKE A COPY of the extension for you to file with your return later.

5. MAKE ANOTHER COPY for your own file.

6. MAIL the form your tax due date – April 15th.

Information on the U.S. government website for the IRS Internal Revenue Service is free.

They may also link you to video instructions on YouTube.com provided by the IRS.

Additional Cautions:

* Don’t wait 6 months to be almost late again, try to file as quickly as possible. You might forget and be late again.

* Don’t wait to file because you owe money and think you can wait 6 months to pay. The longer you wait to pay, the more interest and possible penalties you may have to pay in addition to the taxes you owe.

* Don’t expect a refund until you actually file your tax return completely. You cannot estimate a refund. Sorry.

* The official site for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ends with .gov

http://www.IRS.gov

This site has a lot of great information and is very usable.

I hope this is helpful information. Leave a comment if you think I’ve left something out and help others as well.

W-2’s are In the Mail

Employers have until – January 31st each year to issue tax forms W-2 to their employees. Most are mailed via US Postal Service the last week of January. So all of your W-2 forms should be received by you sometime this week. Some employers provide the printed form W-2 in person or include it with the January paycheck, but they are still required to have them ready and on their way to you by today.

If you do not receive your W-2 form, consider the following:

Contact your employer and ask when the Form W-2 was mailed and determine if you might still be waiting on the mail. Keep in mind that first class mail generally takes 2 to 4 days. If a reasonable amount of time has passed, you can ask them to re-send the Form W-2. You should verify that they have the correct mailing address for you if you request a duplicate.

You still are required to file your tax return Form 1040 by April 15th even when you do not receive your Form W-2. You may choose to file an automatic extension for your filing date on Form 4868 to allow you time to get your Form W-2. Another option would be to file Form 4852 – a Substitute Form W-2. This form is provided by the IRS to allow you to estimate your income and withholding taxes that would be reported on your Form W-2. This is just an estimate and you will want to be very accurate in using this method. The most likely accurate information to estimate with will be the year-to-date earnings and withholding reported on your last paycheck for the tax return year.

Forms and instructions are of course on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov along with useful information created by the IRS to help you on YouTube.com .

Resource Links to IRS forms:

Form 4852 : Substitute Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement
Form 4868 : Application for Extension of Time to File
Link to IRS topic on YouTube

Tax Refund Scams – Don’t be Fooled

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues warnings every year to taxpayers to beware of tax return refund scams. In particular, senior citizens are being targeted and convinced or persuaded to file a tax return claiming a refund based on the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

Related scams come in a variety of disguises this time of year. People who may have very little or no income are not required to file a tax return. Thieves try to convince these taxpayers to file a tax return to get a refund based on nonexistent stimulus payments or the American Opportunity Tax Credit or some other credit. Make no mistake – this is not legal.

You can see a list of the most common tax refund scams on the IRS website under Tax Scams.

Warnings -Here are some reminders to help you protect yourself from being scammed:

1. The IRS does not initiate communication with you the taxpayer through email. If you receive an email that claims to be from the IRS, you can forward that email to the IRS email address: phishing@irs.gov as they state on the IRS website http://www.irs.gov .

2. Verify that you qualify for a tax refund or rebate by asking your own qualified preparer – not someone who has contacted you via phone or email or in person.

3. Do not give your social security number to anyone who solicited you to call their 1-800 or other toll free number for any reason. This may not only be someone trying to create tax fraud, but possibly identity theft that can affect your other accounts. Send your own email to phishing@irs.gov to report any websites, 1-800 numbers or others who ask for your social security number.

4. Do not give out your social security number or any financial account information to someone on the phone who claims to be a family member — even if they sound like them on the phone!! Let your family member come by the house to get the information they need. Voices can be imitated even if they have a speech impediment of some kind.

5. Contact the IRS for assistance at the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov by phone, internet, or local office.

Low income taxpayers and seniors are likely to qualify for free tax filing assistance.

This list could go on and on. But please take care of yourself and only work with someone who is qualified to assist you in filing a proper tax return. You don’t need to fear people contacting you – just always verify the contact with your local IRS office or even by calling the local Senior Center or local police station.

Share your tips with us by adding a comment to this post.

Tax Season: Step 1 Gathering Records

It’s that time of year when we start seeing commercials for tax refund loans, free tax filing and people on busy intersections dressed like Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty waving us in to the office of tax preparers to file our tax return.  All these reminders begin to push our panic button because we are rarely ready to file our tax return. So here’s a few things to get you started.

1.  Find last year’s tax return:   Last year’s tax return can help you get organized for this year’s tax filing.

2.  Start a list List items on your last return that are the same as this year.

a.   Form W-2 ‘s from your jobs

b.   Form 1099’s from bank accounts for interest and dividends

c.   Misc Form 1099’s for work, rent income, or other miscellaneous income

3.  Contributions for the year can include donations to non profit organizations as well as donations of  clothing, furniture, or other household goods.  You should get a receipt for all donations.

4.  Home Improvements: Some home improvements may provide tax credits for the energy savings they provide.  These items may include a new heater or air conditioner, solar screens, storm doors and windows, and insulation.

5.  Sales Tax is deductible if you itemize your deductions.  A sales tax table is used to calculate this amount based on your income.  However, if you have large purchases for the year such as an automobile, home improvements, or other extraordinary purchases, you may be better off by adding up your sales tax for the year instead of using the table provided amount.

This is at least a start.  It’s still early, so you still have plenty of time to gather your records.