Tax Extension Question?
ok...so i am a total procrastinator!!! here it is April 16th and i didn't file my state income taxes. i filed my federal taxes but not my state. my question is, is it too late to file for an extension, or do i even need to since i should be getting a refund instead of owing money? and what if it is not necessary to file for an extension? do i just file my state taxes as soon as possible without penalty? i am so confused!!! PLEASE HELP!! another problem i have is that my husbands W2 does not have any state tax information on it. the box is blank. and the box that is supposed to be the employer's state ID no. is blank also. i know he paid state taxes but i dont know where to find this information.
Public Comments
- In my opinion just go ahead and file. If its a refund no penalty and even if you owe, whats a couple of hours. Uncle Sam can be a dick but Christ they are not the 3rd Reich. It would probably take more time to file the extension than it would to just file; plus with the extension there is a guaranteed added penalty. I would roll the dice and take a chance.
- if you are late you will get penalized from the state but still file and get some money better than nothing
- Check out the Web site for your state...each one has different laws. If you filed your federal taxes, you're square with the IRS...in my experience (three states), at least some states are a lot less stringent. For example, when I lived in Colorado, I could file for an extension online or via telephone for free...I did this once a day late (on the 16th) and since I was getting a refund, they didn't penalize me in any way. One issue you'll want to consider...if you didn't have the state taxes paid for your husband's income AND you itemized deductions on your federal return, you may need to amend your federal return when you get that information to claim the deduction for that amount (could be significant esp. if it can reduce your taxable income into the next lower tax bracket!). Re: your husband's W-2, you (or he) need to contact his employer to request a corrected W-2...even if you have pay stubs that show the amount of state taxes paid, if your numbers don't match the numbers reported by his employer, that could be an audit flag!
