General Instructions for Form 2688
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IRS e-file is the IRS’s electronic filing program. You can get an additional extension of time to file your tax return by filing Form 2688 electronically. You will receive an electronic acknowledgment once you complete the transaction. Keep it with your records. Do not send in Form 2688 if you file electronically.
E-file using your personal computer or through a tax professional. Refer to your software package or tax preparer for ways to file electronically. Be sure to have a copy of last year’s tax return—you will be asked to provide information from the return for taxpayer verification.
Purpose of Form
Use Form 2688 to ask for more time to file Form 1040EZ, Form 1040A, Form 1040, Form 1040NR-EZ, or Form 1040NR. Generally, use it only if you already asked for more time on Form 4868 (the “automatic” extension form) and that time was not enough. We will make an exception only for undue hardship. Generally, the maximum extension of time allowed by law is 6 months.
To get the extra time, you must (a) complete and file Form 2688 on time and (b) have a good reason why the first 4 months were not enough. Explain this on line 2.
Generally, we will not give you more time to file just for the convenience of your tax return preparer. But if the reasons for being late are beyond his or her control or, despite a good effort, you cannot get professional help in time to file, we will usually give you the extra time.
CAUTION: If we give you more time to file and later find that the statements made on this form are false or misleading, the extension is null and void. You will owe the late filing penalty explained on this page.
You cannot have the IRS figure your tax if you file after the regular due date of your return.
Gift or generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax return (Form 709). An extension of time to file your 2004 calendar year income tax return also extends the time to file Form 709 for 2004. However, it does not extend the time to pay any gift or GST tax you may owe for 2004. To make a payment of gift or GST tax, see Form 8892.
If you live abroad. U.S. citizens or resident aliens living abroad may qualify for special tax treatment if they meet the foreign residence or presence tests. If you do not expect to meet either of those tests by the due date of your return, request an extension to a date after you expect to qualify, using Form 2350, Application for Extension of Time To File U.S. Income Tax Return. See Pub. 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad.
Total Time Allowed
Generally, we cannot extend the due date of your return for more than 6 months. This includes the 4 extra months allowed by Form 4868. There may be an exception if you live abroad. See the previous discussion.
When To File
If you filed Form 4868, file Form 2688 by the extended due date of your return. For most people, this is August 15, 2005. If you did not file Form 4868 first because you need more than a 4-month extension due to an undue hardship, file Form 2688 as early as possible, but no later than the due date of your return. The due date is April 15, 2005, for a calendar year return. Be sure to fully explain on line 2 why you are filing Form 2688 first. Also, file Form 2688 early so that if your request is not approved, you can still file your return on time.
If you are a U.S. citizen or resident out of the country (defined on this page) on the regular due date of your return, you are allowed 2 extra months to file your return. For a calendar year return, this is June 15, 2005. If you need an additional 2 months (until August 15, 2005, for most calendar year taxpayers), file Form 4868. Then, if you need another 2 months, file Form 2688 by the extended due date.
Out of the country means either (a) you live outside the United States and Puerto Rico and your main place of work is outside the United States and Puerto Rico or (b) you are in military or naval service outside the United States and Puerto Rico. If you qualify as being “out of the country,” you will still be eligible for the extension, even if you are physically present in the United States or Puerto Rico on the regular due date of the return.
Where To File
Mail Form 2688 to the Internal Revenue Service Center where you will file your return.
Filing Your Tax Return
You may file your tax return any time before the extension expires. Do not attach Form 2688 to your tax return.
Form 2688 does not extend the time to pay taxes. If you do not pay the amount due by the regular due date, you will owe interest and may also be charged penalties.
Interest. You will owe interest on any tax not paid by the regular due date of your return even if you had a good reason for not paying on time. The interest runs until you pay the tax.
Penalties. The late payment penalty is usually 1⁄2 of 1% of any tax (other than estimated tax) not paid by the regular due date. It is charged for each month or part of a month the tax is unpaid. The maximum penalty is 25%.
The late filing penalty is usually charged if your return is filed after the due date (including extensions). The penalty is usually 5% of the amount due for each month or part of a month your return is late. Generally, the maximum penalty is 25%. If your return is more than 60 days late, the minimum penalty is $100 or the balance of tax due on your return, whichever is smaller.
You might not owe these penalties if you have a good reason for paying and/or filing late. Attach a statement to your return, not Form 2688, explaining the reason.
How to claim credit for payment made with this form. The instructions for the following line of your tax return will tell you how to report any payment you sent with Form 2688.
- Form 1040, line 68; Form 1040A, line 43; or Form 1040EZ, line 9.
- Form 1040NR, line 62; or Form 1040NR-EZ, line 21.
If you and your spouse each filed a separate Form 2688 but later file a joint return for 2004, enter the total paid with both Forms 2688 on the appropriate line of your joint return.
If you and your spouse jointly filed Form 2688 but later file separate returns for 2004, you may enter the total amount paid with Form 2688 on either of your separate returns. Or you and your spouse may divide the payment in any agreed amounts. Be sure each separate return has the social security numbers of both spouses.
Specific Instructions
Name, address, and social security number (SSN). If you plan to file a joint return, include your spouse’s name and SSN in the same order they will appear on your return.
If you are filing Form 1040NR-EZ or Form 1040NR, and do not have (and are not eligible to obtain) an SSN, enter your IRS-issued individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). For information on obtaining an ITIN, see Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
Line 2. Clearly describe the reasons that will delay your return. We cannot accept incomplete reasons, such as “illness” or “practitioner too busy,” without adequate explanations. If it is clear that you have no important reason but only want more time, we will deny your request. The 10-day grace period will also be denied.
Signature and verification. This form must be signed. If you plan to file a joint return, both of you should sign. If there is a good reason why one of you cannot, the other spouse may sign for both. Attach a statement explaining why the other spouse cannot sign.
Others who can sign for you. Anyone with a power of attorney can sign. Attorneys, CPAs, and enrolled agents can sign for you without a power of attorney. Also, a person in a close personal or business relationship to you can sign without a power of attorney if you cannot sign. There must be a good reason why you cannot sign, such as illness or absence. Attach an explanation.
Notice to Applicant and Return Label. You must complete the Return Label to receive the Notice to Applicant. We will use it to tell you if your application is approved. Do not attach it to your return—keep it for your records.
If the post office does not deliver mail to your street address, enter your P.O. box number instead.
Note. If you changed your mailing address after you filed your last return, use Form 8822, Change of Address, to notify the IRS of the change. Showing a new address on Form 2688 will not update your record. You can get Form 8822 by calling 1-800-829-3676.
Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the United States. We need this information to determine your eligibility for an additional extension of time to file your individual income tax return. If you choose to apply for an additional extension of time to file, you are required by Internal Revenue Code sections 6001, 6011(a), and 6081 to provide the information requested on this form. Under section 6109 you must disclose your social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Routine uses of this information include giving it to the Department of Justice for civil and criminal litigation, and to cities, states, and the District of Columbia for use in administering their tax laws. We may also disclose this information to other countries under a tax treaty, or to federal and state agencies to enforce federal nontax criminal laws and to combat terrorism. If you fail to provide this information in a timely manner, or provide incomplete or false information, you may be liable for interest and penalties.
You are not required to provide the information requested on a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a form or its instructions must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return information are confidential, as required by section 6103.
The time needed to complete and file this form will vary depending on individual circumstances. The estimated average time is: Learning about the law or the form, 12 min.; Preparing the form, 15 min.; and Copying, assembling, and sending the form to the IRS, 16 min.
If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these time estimates or suggestions for making this form simpler, we would be happy to hear from you. You can write to us at the following address: Internal Revenue Service, Tax Products Coordinating Committee, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20224. Do not send the form to this address. Instead, see Where To File on this page.
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