Last minute tax filing tips | CNN Business

New York —

So far this tax season, the IRS has received more than 100 million income tax refunds for 2022.

This means tens of millions of households have yet to file their returns. If you’re one of them, here are some last-minute tax filing tips to keep in mind ahead of the Tuesday, April 18 deadline.

Not everyone has to file by April 18: If you live in a federally declared disaster area, own a business there – or have relevant tax documents maintained by a business in the area – it’s likely the IRS has extended the filing and payment deadlines for you. Here is where you can find specific extension dates for each disaster area.

Thanks to a slew of extreme weather in recent months, for example, tax filers in most of California – who account for 10% to 15% of all federal filers – have been given an extension until Oct. 16 to file and pay, according to an IRS spokesperson.

If you are in the armed forces and are currently or have recently been deployed to a combat zone, the deadline for filing and paying your 2022 taxes will likely be extended by 180 days. However your application and payment deadline extensions will depend on the day you leave (or leave) the combat zone. This IRS publication offers more details.

Finally, if you made little or no money last year (usually less than $12,950 for single filers and $25,900 for married couples), you may not be required to file a return. But you may still want to do so if you think you qualify for a refund, for example, a refundable tax credit like Earned Income Tax Credit. (Use this IRS tool to gauge whether you are required to apply this year.) You are also likely eligible to apply IRS Free Files (aimed at those with adjusted gross income of $73,000 or less) so you don’t incur a fee to file your return.

Your salary may not be your only source of income: If you have one full-time job, you may think that that is the only income you earn and must report. But that’s not necessarily the case.

Other sources of income that are potentially taxable and reportable include:

Organize your tax documents: By now you should have received all the tax documents that a third party (company, bank, broker, etc.) was required to send to you.

If you don’t remember receiving a copy of your tax form in the mail, check your email and online accounts — a document may have been sent to you electronically.

Here are some tax forms you may receive:

“Be aware that there are no forms for some taxable income, such as proceeds from renting out your vacation property, meaning you are responsible for reporting it yourself,” according to the Illinois CPA Society.

One last-minute way to reduce your 2022 tax bill: If you qualify to make a Tax-deductible contributions to an IRA and haven’t done so last year, you have until April 18 to donate up to $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re 50 or older). That will reduce your tax bill and increase your retirement savings.

Proofread your return before submitting it: Do this whether you use tax software or work with a tax professional.

Minor errors and omissions delay the processing of your return (and the issuance of a refund if you owe money). You want to avoid things like typos in your name, date of birth, Social Security number, or direct deposit number; choosing the wrong filing status (e.g., married vs. single); making simple math errors; or leave required fields blank.

What to do if you can’t file by April 18: If you can’t file by next Tuesday, fill it out Form 4868 electronically or on paper and send it no later than April 18th. You will be given an automatic six month extension to file.

However, it should be noted that the extension to the file is not an extension that must be paid for. You will be charged interest (currently 7%) and penalties on amounts still owed in 2022 but not paid by April 18th.

So, if you suspect you still owe taxes — maybe you had income outside of work for which taxes weren’t withheld or you made a large capital gain last year — estimate how much more you owe and send that money to the IRS by Tuesday.

You may choose to do this by mail, by attaching a check to your extension request form. Make sure your envelope is postmarked by April 18th.

Or a more efficient route would be Pay your debts electronically on IRS.gov, said CPA Damien Martin, tax partner at EY. If you do, the IRS notes you don’t need to file Form 4868. “The IRS will automatically process an extension of time to file,” the agency notes in its instructions.

If you choose to electronically pay directly from your bank account, which is free, select “extensions” and then “tax year 2022” if given the option.

You can also pay by credit or debit card, but you will be charged a processing fees. However, doing this may be much more expensive than just a fee if you charge tax payments but don’t pay your credit card bill in full each month, as you will likely pay a high interest rate on the outstanding balance.

If you still owe income taxes to your state, keep in mind that you may need to go through a similar process of filing for an extension and making a payment to your state’s department of revenue, Martin said.

Use this interactive tax assistant for basic questions you may have: The IRS provides “interactive tax assistant” which can help you answer more than 50 basic questions about your personal circumstances regarding income, deductions, credit and other technical questions.