Taxpayers who requested an extension to file their individual income tax returns have less than a month to file a complete and accurate return, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.

Individual income tax returns due under an extension must be received by Treasury on or before Oct. 17. Returns can be sent through the U.S. Postal Service or e-Filed on or before Oct. 17.

For the convenience of taxpayers, the extension deadline is the same as the Internal Revenue Service.

“If you haven’t filed your individual income tax return yet – regardless of an extension — please consider doing so today,” said Deputy State Treasurer Glenn White, who oversees Treasury’s Revenue Services programs. “Some individuals who haven’t filed could be entitled to a refund due to tax credits or other forms of assistance. Please reach out to us if you have questions about navigating through the filing process.”

Taxpayers who have yet to file their individual income tax return should consider:

• Filing a return to claim an outstanding refund. Taxpayers risk losing their state income tax refund if they don’t file a return within four years from the due date of the original return. Go to www.michigan.gov/mifastfile to learn more about e-filing.
• Filing a return to minimize interest and penalties. File returns and pay now to limit interest charges and late payment penalties. An extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay. Penalty and interest on the tax due is applicable from the original due date of the return until payment is received.
• Paying as much tax as possible. If taxpayers owe outstanding taxes and can’t pay in full, they should pay as much as they can when they file their tax returns. Payments can be made using Michigan’s e-Payments service. When mailing checks, carefully follow tax form instructions. Treasury will work with taxpayers who cannot pay the full amount of tax they owe.

Questions?

Taxpayers with questions about their state income taxes are encouraged to use Treasury eServices. The online platform enables taxpayers to ask state income tax-related questions when convenient and avoids the extended wait times for calls this time of year.

To get started with Treasury eServices, go to www.michigan.gov/incometax and click on “Access eServices.”

To learn more about the state Treasury Department, go to Michigan.gov/Treasury or follow @MiTreasury on Twitter.