Forms · IRS

Fill out Form 4868 online, without uploading it

Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Asks for more time to file your individual income tax return.

Open Form 4868 in PDFPane Free · opens in your browser · nothing is uploaded · or download the blank PDF

About Form 4868

• Who fills it in: Individuals who cannot file on time.
• Where it goes: The IRS, by the filing deadline.
• It extends the time to file, not the time to pay: tax owed is still due by the original deadline.

How to fill it in with PDFPane

1. Click Open Form 4868 in PDFPane. The official blank opens with every fillable box highlighted.
2. Click the first box and press Tab to go through them in order. Tick boxes with a click.
3. Need a signature? Pick Sign, then draw it, type it or use a photo, and place it on the line. Date adds today's date.
4. Click Download. You get a new PDF with everything filled in. Free: 3 downloads a month with a Google sign-in.

Which year this is

This blank is the 2025 Form 4868: it asks for more time to file a 2025 return, which was due April 15, 2026 for most people. It is the revision the IRS's Form 4868 page lists as current. An extension for a 2026 return, due in April 2027, is requested on the 2026 Form 4868: check the IRS's Form 4868 page for it.

A U.S. citizen or resident uses it to get 6 more months to file Form 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR or 1040-SS.

Three ways to get the extension

1. Pay electronically all or part of the tax you estimate you owe, and say the payment is for an extension. The IRS then processes the extension automatically; no Form 4868 needed.
2. E-file Form 4868 with tax software or through a tax professional. Several companies offer this for free through the IRS's Free File program.
3. Mail a paper Form 4868, with a payment if you are making one. Fiscal year taxpayers must use paper.

You don't have to explain why you need more time: the IRS contacts you only if it denies the request. The form says not to file it if you want the IRS to figure your tax, or if a court has ordered you to file by the due date.

What it asks

• Part I — Identification. Your name or names, address, Social Security number, and your spouse's if you will file jointly. Without an SSN or ITIN, the form says to write "ITIN TO BE REQUESTED". A new address on Form 4868 does not update your IRS record; that takes Form 8822.
• Line 4 — an estimate of your total tax for the year. The form warns that if the estimate later proves unreasonable, the extension is void.
• Line 5 — the payments you expect to report, such as withholding and estimated tax. Line 6 — the balance due. Line 7 — what you are paying now.
• Line 8 — a box for U.S. citizens and residents who are "out of the country". Line 9 — a box for some 1040-NR filers who had no wages with U.S. withholding.

What it does not do

• It does not extend the time to pay. Tax not paid by the original due date owes interest until it is paid, and usually a late payment penalty of ½ of 1% a month, up to 25%.
• The form says you are treated as having reasonable cause for the extension period if at least 90% of your tax is paid by the due date and the rest is paid with the return.
• Filing after the extended date usually brings a late filing penalty of 5% of the amount due a month, up to 25%.
• Any payment you make with it is reported on your return. Don't attach Form 4868 to the return.

Deadlines for a 2026 return

• File Form 4868 by the due date of your return. The IRS gives that date for a 2026 return as April 15, 2027 for most people, a Thursday.
• Six more months make the extended date October 15, 2027, a Friday. You can file any time before then.
• U.S. citizens and residents who are out of the country on the due date get 2 extra months to file and pay without asking: that would be June 15, 2027, a Tuesday. Interest still runs from April 15. Filing Form 4868 with the line 8 box ticked asks for 4 more months on top.
• If you were affected by a disaster, the form says you may have more time; see irs.gov/DisasterRelief.

Questions

Is this the 2026 Form 4868?

No. It is the 2025 form, the IRS's own PDF, for 2025 returns. For a 2026 return, use the 2026 Form 4868 from the IRS's Form 4868 page, or pay electronically and mark the payment as an extension.

Does Form 4868 give me more time to pay?

No. Only more time to file. The tax is still due by the original date, and interest runs on anything unpaid.

Can I fill out Form 4868 online for free?

You can fill in this PDF in PDFPane and download it — 3 downloads a month are free with a Google sign-in. Or download the blank PDF (the IRS's, unchanged). PDFPane does not e-file it; the IRS's Free File program can.

Do I need to sign Form 4868?

The form has no signature line: you fill in Parts I and II and mail the bottom part of page 1, or file it electronically.

Is my Social Security number uploaded anywhere?

No. PDFPane fills in the PDF in Chrome on your computer. The form and your SSN never reach PDFPane's server or anyone else's.

Open Form 4868 in PDFPane

This is the official PDF published by the IRS, see its page for the current edition and instructions. PDFPane is not affiliated with the IRS and does not give tax or legal advice.