What if taxes filed late

Some people, such as natural disaster victims, certain members of the military or Americans living overseas, may automatically get more time to file.

If you miss the tax extension deadline, though, that failure-to-file penalty could come back to haunt you. While the government usually has just six years to charge you with criminal tax evasion , it has forever to collect the taxes you owe and assess penalties.

In addition to the failure-to-file penalty, these things could happen to you when the IRS catches up to you:. Interest: On top of the failure-to-pay penalty, interest accrues on your unpaid taxes.

A substitute return: If you fail to file but the IRS has some information needed to calculate your taxes, such as your W-2 form , you may be notified by mail that it has filed a return on your behalf. Once this window closes, you forfeit your tax refund. We've weighed the pros and cons of some major players in the space. Phone, email, mail and online portal. Refunds possible but somewhat limited.

Refunds only within 15 days of enrollment. The tool updates once daily, usually overnight, so there's no need to check more frequently. The Where's My Refund? Normally, taxpayers should file their tax return, or request an extension, and pay any taxes they owe by the deadline to avoid penalties and interest. An extension to file is not an extension to pay. Penalties and interest will apply to taxes owed after May Even if a taxpayer can't afford to immediately pay the taxes they owe, they should still file a tax return as soon as possible to reduce possible penalties.

Filing and paying as much as possible is important because the late-filing penalty and late-payment penalty add up quickly. The failure to pay penalty rate is generally 0. The rate is subject to change. For more information see IRS. Taxpayers who have a history of filing and paying on time often qualify for penalty relief. A taxpayer will usually qualify if they have filed and paid timely for the past three years and meet other requirements.

If you're confident you're due a refund, then there's no reason to worry. The IRS doesn't penalize taxpayers for filing a late return if they're getting a refund.

And, finally, what about your state tax return? The due date for most state tax returns was May Check with the state tax agency where you live to learn more about state tax deadlines…and about penalties for missing them.

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