IRS Tax Filing Deadline Approaching

The Internal Revenue Service has received 103.6 million 2016 individual income tax returns as of April 7 and expects millions more to be filed by the April 18 deadline. Special filing deadline rules apply to members of the military serving in combat zones, those living outside the U.S. and those living in declared disaster areas.

The IRS also expects more than 13 million taxpayers to request a filing extension, giving them six additional months to complete and file their tax return.

Not everyone is required to file a tax return. The requirement to file depends on a person’s income, filing status, age and whether they can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.

For an estimated one million taxpayers who did not file a 2013 tax return, April 18, 2017, is the last day to file to claim their part of tax refunds totaling more than $1 billion. Taxpayers due a refund must file a return within three years of its due date or the money becomes the property of the U.S. Treasury. There are no late filing penalties if a refund is due.

According to the IRS, the most common reasons people do not file a return who should are: they don’t know how, may not have the documents needed or owe more tax than they can pay. Taxpayers who owe more than they can pay should pay as much as they can by the due date in order to minimize interest and penalties.

Taxpayers who are not ready to file by the deadline should request an extension of time to file. An extension gives the taxpayer until Oct. 16 to file but does not extend the time to pay. Penalties and interest will be charged on all taxes not paid by the April 18 filing deadline.