Fillable Form 4868 (2021)

What is Form 4868?

Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form used by taxpayers who want to apply for an extension to file their tax returns.

Use the 4868 Form to apply for six (6) more months (4 if “out of the country”) to file Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return; Form 1040-SR, U.S. Tax Return for Seniors; Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return; Form 1040-PR, Self-Employment Tax Return - Puerto Rico; or Form 1040-SS, U.S. Self-Employment Tax Return.

You are considered “out of the country” if:

• You live outside the United States and Puerto Rico and your main place of work is outside the United States and Puerto Rico; or
• You’re in military or naval service on duty outside the United States and Puerto Rico.

If you qualify as being out of the country, you’ll still be eligible for an extension even if you’re physically present in the United States or Puerto Rico on the regular due date of the return.

To get extra time to file for your IRS 4868 Form, you must do the following:

• Properly estimate your 2021 tax liability using the information available to you;
• Enter your total tax liability on line 4 of tax form 4868; and
• File Form 4868 extension by the regular due date of your return.

Here are three ways to request an automatic extension of time to file a U.S. individual income tax return:

• You can pay all or part of your estimated income tax due and indicate that the payment is for an extension using Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or using a credit or debit card.
• You can file IRS Form 4868 electronically by accessing the IRS e-file using your tax software or by using a tax professional who uses e-file.
• You can file a paper Form 4868 IRS and enclose payment of your estimate of tax due.

You can make payments electronically through a direct transfer from your bank account using Direct Pay, the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or by debit or credit card, or by phone using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System or by debit or credit card. You will receive a confirmation number when you pay online or by phone. You will be asked to enter that confirmation number. You can also make payment via check or money order. For more information, see How to Make a Payment on Form 4868.

How to fill out Form 4868?

Filling out Form 4868 is quick and simple. You can download and print a PDF copy of Form 4868 from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website which you can manually complete. But for your convenience, you can also fill out the tax extension form 4868 electronically on PDFRun. By following the instructions below, you can accomplish the form in minutes.

Tax Year

Enter the beginning and ending dates of the tax year following the format: Month, Year.

Part I – Identification

Line 1

Enter your name and address.

If you plan to file a joint return, include both spouses’ names in the order in which they will appear on the return.

If you want correspondence regarding this extension to be sent to you at an address other than your own, enter that address. If you want the correspondence sent to an agent acting for you, enter the agent’s name (as well as your own) and the agent’s address.

If you changed your name after you filed your last return because of marriage, divorce or such things, make sure to report this to the Social Security Administration before filing Form 4868. This will prevent delays in processing your extension request.

If you changed your mailing address after you filed your last return, you should use Form 8822, Change of Address, to notify the IRS of the change. Showing a new address on Form 4868 won’t update your record.

Lines 2 and 3

Enter your social security number (SSN) and your spouse’s SSN.

If you plan to file a joint return, enter on line 2 the SSN that you’ll show first on your return. Enter on line 3 the other SSN to be shown on the joint return.

If you’re filing Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, as an estate or trust, enter your employer identification number (EIN) instead of the SSN on line 2. In the left margin, next to the EIN, write “estate” or “trust.”

If you’re a nonresident or resident alien and you don’t have and aren’t eligible to get an SSN, you must apply for an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) for aliens, see Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, and its instructions. If you already have an ITIN, enter it wherever an SSN is requested. If you don’t have an ITIN, enter “ITIN TO BE REQUESTED” wherever an SSN is requested.

Part II – Individual Income Tax

Line 4

Enter the total tax liability you expect to report on your 2021:

• Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, line 24
• Form 1040-SR, U.S. Tax Return for Seniors, line 24
• Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, line 24
• Form 1040-PR, Self-Employment Tax Return - Puerto Rico, line 6
• Form 1040-SS, U.S. Self-Employment Tax Return, line 6

If you expect this amount to be zero, enter -0-.

Make your estimate as accurate as you can with the information you have. If the estimate was later found to be unreasonable, the extension will be null and void.

Line 5

Enter the total payments you expect to report on your 2021:

• Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, line 33 (excluding Schedule 3, Additional Credits and Payments, line 10)
• Form 1040-SR, U.S. Tax Return for Seniors, line 33 (excluding Schedule 3, Additional Credits and Payments, line 10)
• Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, line 33 (excluding Schedule 3, Additional Credits and Payments, line 10)
• Form 1040-PR, Self-Employment Tax Return - Puerto Rico, line 12 (excluding the amount your paying with this Form 4868)
• Form 1040-SS, U.S. Self-Employment Tax Return, line 12 (excluding the amount your paying with this Form 4868)

Line 6

Enter the difference of line 5 from line 4. If line 5 is more than line 4, enter -0-.

Line 7

If you find that you can’t pay the amount shown on the preceding line, you can still get the extension. But you should pay as much as you can to limit the amount of interest you’ll owe. You may also be charged the late payment penalty on the unpaid tax from the regular due date of your return.

Line 8

Mark the box if you’re a U.S. citizen or resident and you’re out of the country on the regular due date of your return.

Line 9

Mark the box if you file Form 1040-NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, and you didn’t receive wages subject to U.S. income tax withholding and your return is due on June 15, 2022.

Making Payments Electronically

If you paid online or by phone, enter your confirmation number on the space provided. Otherwise, leave it blank.