by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 28, 2010   Last Updated: March 09, 2010

There's three ways to get an electronic extension - but here's the easiest one.  Just go to this web page! The IRS has assembled a list of free services that file tax forms electronically - including the form for an automatic extension!     

The form you're looking for is Form 4868, and they've listed lots of services that will submit it electronically for you. Just click on the button that says "Help Me Find a Free File Company". There's simple questions - like your age, income, and state of residence. And then the IRS will match you to a free service which will file your extension form online! (Don't worry, you're not alone. In 2009, the IRS was already gearing up to handle

nearly 10 million extension requests - nearly half a million more than they received just the year before.)

But you can also get an extension just by paying some portion of your tax bill - even if it's only one dollar! The instructions for form 4868 remind you that you can also get an extension "if you pay part or all of your estate of income tax due by using a credit or debit card," adding that your payment "must be at least $1." Page four of the instructions list the toll-free phone numbers for three tax-paying web sites (all of which also accept payments online). Their addresses are: payUSAtax.com, PAY1040.com, and officialpayments.com.

Remember that the extension doesn't give you more time to pay the tax you owe - it just allows you more time to submit your return. But if you owe money, you can also transmit that electronically to the Internal Revenue Service. (For example, by using a credit card or making an electronic withdrawal from your bank account...)

Another way to get an extension doesn't even involve a computer. You can simply fill out a paper version of form 4868, and mail it to the IRS in an envelope. But you may not even have to file the extension. In some cases the IRS grants an automatic extension.  If you're living outside the United States, and your main "post of business is also outside the U.S., you're granted an automatic two-month extension. And you're also granted a two-month extension automatically if you're stationed outside the U.S. while serving in the Navy or other branches of the U.S. military. (Note: Puerto Rico doesn't count,  as it's considered a territory of the United States.)

And an extension of at least 180 days is granted automatically if you're serving in the military in a combat zone, "as well as merchant marines serving aboard vessels under the operational control of the Department of Defense" (This combat-zone exemption also applies to "Red Cross personnel, accredited correspondents, and civilians under the direction of the Armed Forces in support of the Armed Forces.")

You may not even have to file a tax return at all. If your gross income is less than $9,350 a year - and you're single and less than 65 - then according to IRS guidelines, you don't even need to file a tax return at all!

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