6 Late-Filing Tax Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Tina Orem is an editor at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor, she covered small business and taxes at NerdWallet. She has been a financial writer and editor for over 15 years, and she has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. Previously, she was a financial analyst and director of finance for several public and private companies. Tina's work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets.

Chris Hutchison helped build NerdWallet's content operation and has worked across banking, investing and taxes. He now leads a team exploring new markets. Before joining NerdWallet, he was an editor and programmer at ESPN and a copy editor at the San Jose Mercury News.

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Filing an income tax return after the annual deadline usually isn’t the end of the world, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. Here are some common mistakes to avoid if you're filing taxes late.

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1. Doing nothing

If you plan to file your tax return late, the IRS is usually fine with that. Just request a tax extension by filing Form 4868 to get more time. The catch, however, is that you need to request that extension by the April 15, 2024, tax filing deadline .

If you forget to do that, you may incur a late-filing penalty of 5% of the amount due for every month or partial month your return is late. The maximum penalty is 25% of the amount due. So if you owe, say, $1,000 in taxes, that could mean shelling out an extra $250 [0]

2. Assuming tax is all you'll owe

Paying later means paying more, because you’ll owe interest on any amount outstanding after the tax filing deadline, even if you get an extension.

The IRS may also assess a late-payment penalty, which normally is 0.5% per month of the outstanding tax not paid by the deadline (the maximum penalty is 25%) [0]

. You might be able to catch a break if you’ve paid at least 90% of your actual tax liability by the deadline and you pay the rest when you send in your return.

The bottom line is that if you owe taxes, it may be a good idea to pay as much as you can when you request the extension.

3. Assuming you have to ask for an extension

If you’re a U.S. citizen or resident who lived and worked outside of the country on the tax filing deadline, for example, you get more time to file and pay without having to request an extension.

People affected by certain natural disasters automatically get more time to file and pay, as well; check the IRS' list of qualifying disasters [0]

. Some members of the military also get more time automatically, depending on where they are and what they’re doing.

4. Assuming you have six extra months to get it together

The standard extension can buy you an extra six months to file, which gets you until Oct. 15, 2024. But if you’re one of the few who get an automatic extension, don’t assume you have the same amount of time.

That out-of-the-country crowd mentioned earlier gets just two extra months to file, for instance; the amount of extra time varies for people affected by certain natural disasters.

5. Forgetting about your extension deadline

If you miss the Oct. 15 deadline, the IRS can apply that 5% penalty for filing your taxes late. And if your return is over 60 days late, you’ll pay either $485 (adjusted for inflation) or what you still owe, whichever figure is smaller [0]

The good news is that the IRS may throw you a lifeline: You might not have to pay the penalty if you have “a reasonable explanation” for filing late. You can request penalty abatement by calling the IRS or requesting relief in writing [0]

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6. Assuming the IRS will hate you

There’s no need to risk making big mistakes on your tax return or missing valuable deductions because you’re rushing to meet the filing deadline and think the IRS will blacklist you for seeking an extension. Filing late is common. In fact, extensions are a fact of life for many investors who don’t get their K-1s , which are statements of income from partnerships, until mid-March.

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Tina Orem is an editor at NerdWallet. Before becoming an editor, she was NerdWallet's authority on taxes and small business. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national outlets. See full bio.

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