Extended your 2025 tax return? File by October 15
An extension moved your filing deadline, not your payment deadline. What to do before October 15, 2026, and what happens if you miss it.
If you filed Form 4868 in April, the IRS gave you six more months to file your 2025 federal return. That time runs out on Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Filing late and paying late are different
An extension gives you more time to file. It does not give you more time to pay. Any tax you owed was due on April 15. If it is still unpaid, interest has been adding up since then, along with a late-payment penalty. Paying as soon as you can reduces both.
What to send us this week
- W-2 and 1099 forms you received for 2025
- Statements from brokerage, retirement or crypto accounts
- Income and expenses from rental property or self-employment
- Receipts for the deductions you plan to claim
- Your 2024 return, if we did not prepare it
If you cannot pay the full balance
File on time anyway. The penalty for filing late is usually much larger than the penalty for paying late. The IRS offers payment plans for balances you cannot pay at once, and we can help you set one up.
Not sure whether an extension was filed for you? Write to us and we will help you check before the deadline.