October 15 Extension Deadline — Don't Lose Your Refund

What an extension does and doesn't do

Form 4868 extends your time to FILE the return — not your time to PAY. Any 2025 tax owed was due April 15, 2026. Interest accrues on unpaid balances from April 16 onward, and a 0.5%/month late-payment penalty applies. Filing the actual return by October 15 stops the much larger 5%/month failure-to-file penalty.

Why finish well before October 15

• October fills up — preparers book out 3-4 weeks ahead

• Missing K-1s, 1099-Bs, or foreign income forms can take weeks to track down

• Refunds for tax year 2022 must be claimed by April 15, 2026 (already past); 2023 refunds expire April 15, 2027

• California state extensions are AUTOMATIC but state taxes were also due April 15

Need to revisit a prior year?

If you're missing a 2022, 2023, or 2024 return, the IRS Wage and Income Transcript shows what was reported under your SSN/ITIN. Contact us — we can pull transcripts in-office and reconstruct the return.