Generally, you have three options:
Yes, go ahead and file, even if you can't pay. ... Because the penalty for not paying is much lower than for not filing. Penalty for not filing — 4.5% per month on the balance owed up to a maximum of 25% of the amount due. Penalty for not paying — 0.5% per month on the balance owed up to a maximum of 25% of the amount due.
Individual tax filers, regardless of income, can use Free File to electronically request an automatic tax-filing extension. Filing this form gives you until Oct. 15 to file a return. To get the extension, you must estimate your tax liability on this form and should also pay any amount due.
Payment options include full payment, short-term payment plan (paying in 120 days or less) or a long-term payment plan (installment agreement) (paying monthly). Currently, taxpayers may only apply for a short-term payment plan of more than 120 days (up to 180 days) by phone or mail.
Late-Filing Penalty
The late filing penalty is 5% of the balance owing, plus 1% of the balance owing for each full month that your return is late, to a maximum of 12 months (that would be a total penalty of 17% of the balance owing).
If you feel you have been blindsided by a penalty from the IRS and you are unable to pay based on circumstances beyond your control, you may qualify for IRS one-time forgiveness. Despite the agency's reputation, the IRS often works with taxpayers in disadvantageous circumstances to alleviate undue tax burdens.
What Do I Do If I Can't Afford to Pay My Taxes?
A tax extension gives you an additional 6 months to file your tax return, making your new deadline October 15. It is not an extension of time to pay your tax bill. e-File or file IRS Form 4868 by May 17, 2021 for Tax Year 2020 here on eFile.com for free.
If you expect to owe money, you're required to estimate the amount due and pay it with your Form 4868. As long as you do that, the extension will be granted automatically.
In fact, getting a tax extension can actually reduce your chances of facing an IRS audit. While no one outside the IRS can say for sure how the audit selection process works, it is safe to say that a tax extension does not do anything to trigger an audit.
If you owe less than $10,000 to the IRS, your installment plan will generally be automatically approved as a "guaranteed" installment agreement. Under this type of plan, as long as you pledge to pay off your balance within three years, there is no specific minimum payment required.
Do IRS Payment Plans Affect Your Credit? One way to avoid a tax lien or other collection action is to establish a payment plan with the IRS when you receive a tax bill. Taking the step of setting up a payment arrangement with the IRS does not trigger any reports to the credit bureaus.
Put simply, the statute of limitations on federal tax debt is 10 years from the date of tax assessment. This means the IRS should forgive tax debt after 10 years. ... Once you receive a Notice of Deficiency (a bill for your outstanding balance with the IRS), and fail to act on it, the IRS will begin its collection process.
Yet No Comments