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The law requires you to file by April 15.

The IRS has no way of knowing whether you are owed a refund until you file (and many people who are sure they are owed a refund get a surprise when they actually finish filling out the forms). Perhaps your only source of income is wages reported on a W-2, but many people have all sorts of other income that is not reported on a W-2. The IRS does not know if you are one of these people until you file.

If you don't file, after a while the IRS will make certain worst case assumptions about your income and deductions and pursue you based on those assumptions. The law also allows them to bring criminal charges which carry jail time and/or fines against people who don't file WHETHER OR NOT THEY OWE TAX OR HAVE A REFUND COMING. Bringing criminal charges is only done in extreme situations and almost never when there is no tax due. But do you really want the possibility hanging over your head?

If you haven't filed, just do it. If you are due a refund, you usually have three years from the original due date to claim it. If you are due a refund, there won't even be a federal penalty (there may be a state penalty). Just get it done and claim your refund.

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Q: If I'm owed an income tax refund do I have to file by April 15?
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Related questions

Can a 67 year old file a 1040 federal income tax refun?

Yes, if you legally are owed a refund


Can the IRS garnish an income tax refund if money is owed from an audit?

Yes, the IRS can, and will, garnish an income tax refund if money is owed from an audit.


How long do I have to file my 2009 income taxes if I am owed money from the govt?

3 years from the due date of the income tax return. 2006 tax year income tax refund amount will be lost if tax return not filed by April 15 2010.


Is there a fee for filing income taxes in Alabama late if you're owed a refund?

When you are due a refund and fail to file your income tax return to claim the refund amount that you are due they do not charge the penalty because if you fail to claim the amount it will eventually be lost.


Does a single student earning 3132.25 in 2007 need to file a federal tax return and will any taxes be owed?

If you're a single student claimed as a dependent on your parents' (or someone else's) return, you weren't required to file in 2007 if your income was under $5,350. If you weren't being claimed as a dependent by anyone else, you weren't required to file if your income was under $8,750. But if income tax were withheld from your earnings during the year, you should file a return in order to get a refund of that tax. If you didn't file a return in 2008 for a refund of your 2007 tax withheld, you still can file for that year.


Important Information About your Income Tax Refund?

Few people enjoy filing their income taxes; those that do are most likely the people that are due a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service. That said, not all taxpayers owed a refund are happy to have that refund because it reminds them of the fact that they've provided the government with an interest free loan for the previous tax year; that is money that they could have used throughout the year to cover regular expenses such as child care and groceries. Regardless whether or not you are happy to receive your income tax refund or you are only filing so that you can have the money you worked so hard to earn returned to you, there are several things you need to know about your tax refund.The first thing you need to know about your income tax refund is how to file your income tax return so that you can claim your income tax refund. Your return must be filed no later than April 15, unless it is a holiday or weekend and then your return must be filed no later than the following business day. If you cannot file your return by the deadline you must file an automatic extension of time that gives you an additional six months to file. Since you are owed a refund, the IRS will not penalize you for filing late or not filing an extension. However, you only have three years to claim your refund before it is forfeited to the government.Once you decide to file your return and collect your refund you must decide whether or not to file by mail or online. Filing by mail takes two to three weeks for the government to accept and process your income tax return. E-filing your return means the government will accept it within days of receipt. In addition, you can choose to have your refund deposited directly into your bank account or have a paper check mailed to you. A direct deposit takes approximately one week from the date your return is accepted by the government and a paper check takes an additional three to four weeks to be returned.


Can you get a refund from a tax return from 6 years ago?

I am assuming you never filed in the first place. Just file accordingly and if you are owed a refund you will get it. If you owe them you will also have to pay with interest and fees.


If you didn't make enough money to file tax's will I still get a tax refund check?

A tax refund is what you have already paid to the government minus what you actually owed. If you did not pay taxes, there is no money there.


What is the Last day to file taxes for 2008?

The deadline was April 15, 2009. If you missed the deadline, file your 2008 taxes as soon as possible. If you owed money, you still owe it and interest and penalties are added for every day you wait. If you had a refund coming, it is not too late to claim it.


When is the deadline to file taxes?

If you are talking about your federal income taxes, the deadline is April 15 of the following year (or the next business day if April 15 is a weekend or holiday). For example, your 2008 tax return must be filed by April 15, 2009. If you missed the deadline, file your tax return as soon as possible even thought the deadline has passed. The longer you wait, the more penalties and interest on any amount due add up. And if you are owed a refund, you can still get it for at least three years after the deadline. State tax rules vary.


Do you have to file an income tax?

To determine if you have to file a federal income tax return see Tables 1, 2, and 3 on pages 2, 3, and 4 of Publication 501: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p501.pdf To determine if you have to file a state tax return, see the instructions that come with your state tax forms or the web site of your state tax agency. Even if you are not required to file you probably want to file if you had any taxes withheld from your paycheck or from some other payment. The reason is that the amount withheld is never exactly the correct amount. If you are not required to file and you had taxes withheld, then you are almost certainly owed a refund. If you don't file you will forfeit your refund.


When is the best time to file taxes if you are owed a refund?

January 31. The government has held on to your money for long enough without paying any interest.