How to File Taxes at the Last Minute

Every year on April 15th television news cameras and reporters set up in post offices around the country to get interviews and pictures of last-minute filers. Whether they are professional procrastinators or suffering from poor time-management skills, people trying to beat the deadline pack post offices everywhere. Here's how to file taxes at the last minute.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Complete the correct tax form. If you're unsure as to which forms to complete, visit the Internal Revenue Service website. You can find the appropriate forms there. If you don't have access to the Internet, call the IRS at [phone] and request the forms via postal mail. However, if you are truly at the last minute, you should also request a filing extension form.
2. Determine whether you owe the IRA or if it owes you. Filing at the last minute has a different sense of urgency when you're getting money back then when you owe. If you are a last-minute filer and happen to miss the deadline, you are not charged interest or penalties on the amount you are getting back. Owing the IRS is another matter.
3. Get to the post office before 12:00 midnight on April 15th. Unless the tax deadline falls on a weekend, you must get to the post office and mail your taxes before midnight on April 15th. Prepare to stand in long lines because you can find many other last-minute tax filers standing in front of you.
4. File electronically. Rather than standing in long lines at the post office, you can file your taxes electronically. Electronic filing is a last-minute filer's best friend. You can conceivably complete and send your payment on the 15th of April. Go to the IRS website for more information on its electric filing system.