Internal Revenue Service · Federal form
Fill out Form 4868
Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return 2025
From IRS: A U.S. citizen or resident files Form 4868 to request an automatic extension of time to file a U.S. individual income tax return. Source
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Time to pay. Form 4868 does not extend the time to pay taxes. If you do not pay the amount due by the due date, you will owe interest and may be charged penalties. Source
Facts from the official source
Quoted or closely restated from the IRS's own pages and PDFs, checked .
| Fact | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury | About Form 4868 (IRS) |
| Edition | 2025 | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 PDF, page 1 footer; the year 2025 is printed at top right. |
| Current revision | The IRS links the 2025 PDF (f4868.pdf) as the current revision. | About Form 4868 (IRS) About Form 4868, "Current revision" section. |
| Where to file a paper form | Mail a paper Form 4868 to the address for your state, and for whether you are making a payment, in the "Where To File a Paper Form 4868" table on page 4 of the PDF. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, "File a Paper Form 4868" (address table on page 4). |
| When to file | File Form 4868 by the due date of your Form 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR or 1040-SS. For a 2025 calendar year return, this is April 15, 2026, for most people. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 2, "When To File Form 4868". |
| Longest extension | Generally the due date cannot be extended for more than 6 months (October 15, 2026, for most calendar year taxpayers). | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 2, "Total Time Allowed". |
| Fiscal year taxpayers | Fiscal year taxpayers must file a paper Form 4868. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, "File a Paper Form 4868". |
| Your tax return | Do not attach a copy of Form 4868 to your return. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 2, "Filing Your Tax Return". |
| What it extends | Use Form 4868 to apply for 6 more months (4 if “out of the country” and a U.S. citizen or resident) to file Form 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR or 1040-SS. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, "Purpose of Form". |
| Time to pay | Form 4868 does not extend the time to pay taxes. If you do not pay the amount due by the due date, you will owe interest and may be charged penalties. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, Caution under "Qualifying for the Extension". |
| If you e-file | Do not mail Form 4868 if you file it electronically, unless you are making a payment with a check or money order. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, "It’s Convenient, Safe, and Secure". |
| When not to file | Do not file Form 4868 if you want the IRS to figure your tax or you are under a court order to file your return by the due date. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, "Qualifying for the Extension". |
| Official instructions | The instructions are printed in the form PDF: General Instructions (pages 1 and 2), Specific Instructions and How To Make a Payment (page 3), and Where To File a Paper Form 4868 (page 4). The IRS publishes no separate instructions. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 3. |
| Paying electronically instead | You do not need to file Form 4868 if you make a payment using the IRS electronic payment options; the IRS automatically processes an extension when you pay part or all of your estimated income tax electronically. | Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Form 4868 (2025) PDF, page 1, "Pay Electronically". |
What is on the form
- Tax year
- Calendar year 2025, or the beginning and ending dates of another tax year. Form 4868 (2025), page 1
- Part I: Identification
- Lines 1 to 3: name(s), address, city, state and ZIP code, your social security number and spouse’s social security number. Form 4868 (2025), page 1
- Part II: Individual Income Tax
- Lines 4 to 9: estimate of total tax liability, total payments, balance due, amount you’re paying, “out of the country” checkbox, and Form 1040-NR checkbox. Form 4868 (2025), page 1
- Confirmation number
- Space to record the confirmation number of an online or phone payment. Form 4868 (2025), page 3, "How To Make a Payment"
Checked by PDF Tower: the official PDF has 4 pages and 17 fillable fields (15 text, 2 checkbox or radio), 517 KB. SHA-256 36c7607db08ff469…, computed .
Edition and revisions
- Edition on this page: 2025.
- Recent developments (IRS): None at this time. Source
- All revisions at IRS
Sources
- About Form 4868 (IRS) Retrieved .
- Form 4868 (2025), official PDF with instructions Retrieved .
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