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The Online Advisor - April 2000
April 17 is filing deadline for most taxpayers
Because April 15, the usual tax return filing deadline, is on a Saturday this year, taxpayers get two extra days - or until Monday, April 17 - to file their returns. Taxpayers who file at the Andover, Massachusetts, IRS office have until Tuesday, April 18, to file. The reason? April 17 is Patriot's Day, a state holiday in Massachusetts, so the filing deadline is extended still another day.
If you won't be able to file your return by the deadline, be sure that you request an extension of time from the IRS. To get additional time, you must file Form 4868 with the IRS by April 17 (or 18). The extension is automatic and you are not required to explain why you need extra time. The extension gives you until August 15, 2000, to file, but it does not eliminate interest and late payment penalty charges for taxes you still owe.
You may want to request an extension even if you can file your return and pay the full amount of your taxes by the due date. For example, if you need to use your money elsewhere and would have to borrow at a rate that's greater than the IRS will charge, you may want to postpone your payment until the extension deadline. The automatic extension also postpones until the extension due date the deadline for contributing to deductible retirement plans (excluding IRAs).