Time Is Running Out! Extended Tax Due Date Just Around the Corner

Article Highlights:

• Extended Due Date 
• Funding Retirement Plans 
• K-1 Due Dates 
• Late Filing Penalty 
• Interest on Amount Due 

If could not file your 2015 return by the normal April due date and requested an extension, be aware that the final due date for your return is October 17, 2016. The date is normally October 15, but that falls on a weekend this year, giving you two extra days to meet your individual tax-filing obligation. There are no additional extensions, so this is it!

Even though you have until October 17, you need to be thinking about getting the return completed in advance of the actual due date. Preparing a return takes time, and last-minute issues may need to be resolved before the return is ready to file. In addition, between 10% and 15% of all tax returns are on extension, creating a rush for this office as many people file at once.

If you are self-employed, October 17 is also the final date when you can fund your existing self-employed retirement plan or establish a new one; without completing your return, there is no way to determine how much you can (or want to) contribute to that retirement plan.

The extended deadline for K-1s from partnerships, S-corporations, or fiduciary returns to be sent out was September 15, so if you have not received that information yet, you should make inquiries.

Extended individual federal returns are subject to a penalty of 5% of the tax due for each month (or part of a month) for which the return is not filed by the October 17 due date, with a maximum penalty of 25% of the tax due. In addition, if you end up owing taxes, the IRS will charge you interest on any tax due, going all the way back to the original April due date. If do not file a required state return and do owe state taxes, the state will also charge a late filing penalty and interest.

If this office is waiting for you to supply missing information to complete your return, we will need that information at least a week before the October 17 due date. Please call this office immediately if you anticipate complications related to providing the needed information so that we can determine a course of action for avoiding potential penalties.

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