Tax Day is Monday: Here’s some expert advice for last-minute filers

For the second year of the pandemic Tax Day has been pushed to give everyone more time to file their paperwork.

News 12 Staff

May 16, 2021, 3:52 PM

Updated 1,239 days ago

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For the second year of the pandemic Tax Day has been pushed to give everyone more time to file their paperwork.
The deadline is for Monday at midnight. If you file an extension, your new deadline is Oct. 15.
If you haven't completed your taxes yet, Certified Public Accountant Andrew Kabatchnick has some advice.
"If you're getting a refund, an extension technically is not needed. But an extension is only really required if you owe money, and that's on the state and federal level," explained Kabatchnick.
He added that there is no penalty for extending, but there will be hefty fines and interest if you owe money and don't pay part of it now.
"If you're extending, it's only an extension of time to file your return, not to pay your tax. So if you think you owe or if you're unsure, it's not a bad idea to make some sort of tax payments with your extension," Kabatchnick said.
And if you don't know whether you're getting a refund or you owe money, Kabatchnick recommended to extend just to be safe.
"Let's say you make an extension payment now, and you end up paying too much, you'll get it refunded when you file your taxes just like if you have a W2 and they withheld too much," he said.
Kabatchnick also shared one piece of advice to avoid stress in the future.
"You might be a procrastinator, don't wait until Oct. 14 to file your taxes. Let's try and do that a little ahead of time," he said.
If you just want to get your taxes done quickly, Kabatchnick recommended using an online software like TurboTax or Credit Karma.