How to file for a federal or state income tax extension
Please note, E-file.com provides software to prepare federal tax extensions. However, we do not provide software for state/local tax extensions. With every purchase of our extension software we include free software to prepare and file a tax return once the taxpayer is ready to file. The federal extension (form 4868) must be filed and/or mailed with your estimated payment by the April 15th deadline.
Most states, which require taxpayers to file an income tax return, use the federal deadline of April 15th (unless the 15th falls on a weekend or a holiday.) If your state requires that you file a return and you believe you will not be able to complete your return by the deadline, you may be able to file a request for an extension.
In order to request an extension of your federal taxes, a Form 4868 must be completed before the tax deadline. E-file.com offers you the ability to file the Form 4868 (federal tax extension) electronically at https://www.e-file.com/filing-extension.php.
But what if you live in one of the 43 states that require an income tax return? Do you need to file an extension in that state as well? The answer to this depends on the state. For example, Utah and Iowa typically do not require that an additional extension form be filed with the state. Rather, as long as the taxpayer has paid their estimated tax liability (either through withholding or estimated payments), they will automatically receive an extension on their return. Other states do require that a state form be filed with them prior to extending a taxpayer’s deadline. Then there are the seven states that do not have state income tax at all: South Dakota, Alaska, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Florida and Wyoming. The same is true for Puerto Rico and Guam.
If you live in a state that has an income tax it’s important to visit the State’s Departments of Revenue or Tax Commission office website and become familiar with your state’s requirements.
If you find that you must file an extension, you will follow similar steps to your federal tax extension. For example, as with a federal request, you will need to estimate your state tax liability and should pay what you owe by the original tax due date. In most cases, the date will be the same as your federal taxes, but in some cases (see examples below) the dates are not exactly the same.
The following is a list of 41 states and the District of Columbia (DC), the name of the tax collection department, the form required to file an extension and other relevant information.
| State Tax Collection Dept. | State Form | Filing Deadline*/ Details |
| Alabama Department of Revenue (DOR) | 40V | |
| Arizona DOR | 204 | |
| Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration | AR1055 | |
| California Franchise Tax Board | 3519 | |
| Colorado Division of Taxation | DR-01581 | |
| Connecticut Department of Revenue Services | CT-1040 EXT | |
| Delaware Division of Revenue | 1027 | |
| District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue | FR-127 | |
| Georgia DOR | IT-303 | |
| Hawaii Department of Taxation | N-101A | Oct.22nd |
| Idaho Tax Commission | Form 51 | |
| Illinois DOR | IL-5051 | |
| Indiana DOR | IT-9 | June 15th or if nothing owed on Fed. Taxes, by Nov 15th |
| Iowa DOR | ||
| Kansas DOR | K-40V | |
| Kentucky DOR | 404102 | |
| Louisiana DOR | R-2868 | |
| Maine Revenue Services | 1040EXT-ME | |
| Maryland Comptroller | 502E | |
| Massachusetts DOR | M4868 | |
| Michigan Department of Treasury | Form 4 | |
| Minnesota DOR | M13 | |
| Mississippi Tax Commission | Form 80-180 | |
| Missouri DOR | MO-60 | |
| Montana DOR | EXT-11 | |
| Nebraska DOR | 4868N | |
| New Hampshire DOR Administration | DP-59-A | |
| New Jersey Division of Taxation | NJ-630 | |
| New Mexico Taxation and Revenue | RPD-41096 | |
| New York Department of Taxation and Finance | IT-370-V | |
| North Carolina DOR | D-410 | |
| North Dakota State Tax Commissioner | ND-101 | |
| Ohio Department of Taxation | IT-40P | |
| Oklahoma Tax Commission | Form 504 | |
| Oregon DOR | 40-EXT | |
| Pennsylvania DOR | REV-276 | |
| Rhode Island Division of Taxation | RI-4868 | No R.I. Extension Form needs tobe filed if no tax payment is due. |
| South Carolina DOR | SC-4868 | The S.C.D.O.R. will accept a copy of your Federal Form 4868 extension (in place of SC-4868), if no income tax is due. |
| Tennessee DOR | INC251 | AND a copy of your Federal Form 4868 extension application with the INC251 |
| Utah Tax Commission | TC-546 | |
| Vermont Department of Taxes | N-151 | |
| Virginia Department of Taxation | Form 760IP | Nov. 1st |
| West Virginia State Tax Department | Schedule L | |
| Wisconsin DOR | Attach Federal Form 4868 to Wisconsin Estimated Tax Voucher | Copy of your Federal Form 4868 extension application |
* Please note, if a deadline is not noted above, the state most likely uses the Federal Tax Extension filing deadline, Oct. 15th
It is extremely important that you understand any extension you receive provides additional time to file but not to pay any taxes that you may owe. Accordingly, if you don’t pay your estimated tax liability by the deadline you may receive a penalty and interest due from your state taxing authority.