What is an extension?

If you are unable to file your taxes (for whatever reason; no judgment!) before the April 15th deadline, you can request an extension. An extension is your way of telling the IRS that you need more time to get your tax documents to them. This request needs to be submitted by April 15th in order to receive the extended filing deadline of October 15th. It is important to keep in mind that an extension of time to file your return does not grant you any extension of time to pay your taxes; an extension simply gives you more time to properly submit your tax information to the IRS. If you haven't paid any taxes on income earned throughout the year, or think you might owe, you should estimate and pay any owed taxes by April 15 to help avoid possible penalties. Basically, with an extension, you can file your paperwork later, but you still need to pay on time; the IRS isn't that generous...

If I file an extension, am I still required to pay?

Maybe. If you owe money, you are still required to make the payment by the tax deadline. This will require that you make an estimate of your income, tax owed, and expenses, and pay what you are anticipating owing. If not much has changed in your finances, last year’s taxes are a good guess. You’re going to owe this anyway, so it’s not an extra fee.

What if I’m getting money back? Do I still need to file an extension?

Yes. The IRS requires that you file an extension, even if you are receiving money back.

I think I need an extension. What do I do next?

• You can always ask us to file an extension for you. Head to www.brasstaxes.com/extension to get started.

If you'd prefer to handle it yourself, here are the forms you'll need to send off:

• Here is the federal extension. It’s a PDF that you can e-file or mail in (mailing is simpler).

• If you think you’ll owe or aren’t sure, here is a good estimator. Put in your W-2 income from box 1, "Federal taxes" from box 2, and for "State Taxes Paid," add up state and city taxes from boxes 17 and 19. Add freelance profit in "Business Income." The number you see on the right is an estimate of your federal taxes. If you live in NY, multiply this number by .06 to estimate for NY.

• Here’s the link to file a NY Extension. Select "Individual" and "No special condition."

• Other state extension forms will vary.