The advantages of IRS eFile vs. mailing form 4868

There's the old fashion way, by filling out and mailing IRS Form 4868 (Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return) by the original filing deadline, usually April 15th.  If the IRS accepts and approves the extension, taxpayers then have an additional 6 months to prepare and file their tax return.

There is one major downside to mailing in the paper form 4868. The IRS will only notify you if they reject your extension and there is no guarantee you will have time to make any corrections to get the extension approved.   The IRS will not inform you that your extension was approved.  When the IRS denies your extension for any reason, they will also notify by the U.S. mail. Unfortunately, by the time that notification reaches you, it will be well past the tax filing deadline, and you are already in a position of owing late filing penalties. 

We are an authorized eFile provider for the IRS.  By eFiling your tax extension with our service, you will  receive notification that your extension was received and approved by the IRS within minutes.  If your tax extension is rejected for any reason, you have the opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit it to the IRS for a full 5 days after the filing deadline.