All about business May 2019 Tax News

Extended due dates

Now that April 15, 2019 has come and gone, you may have new clients coming to you after the due date worried about not having filed timely. Fortunately, in California we have an automatic extension for taxpayers to file their returns. The extended due date to file individual returns is October 15, 2019.

Keep in mind that the automatic extension is only to file the tax return, the due date for payment of tax was April 15. If your client failed to pay their tax liability by April 15, 2019, they will incur a late payment penalty plus interest. If your client did not file a 2018 return by April 15, 2019, and owes tax for 2018, they should use the Payment for Automatic Extension for Individuals (Form 3519) to pay the tax. Also, if their estimate tax was too low, they can use FTB 3519 to pay the additional tax. Paying the tax or making estimated tax payments as soon as possible could help them avoid or minimize further accumulation of penalties and interest. If the taxpayer does not file their tax return by October 15, 2019, they will incur a late filing penalty plus interest from the original due date of the tax return on the unpaid tax as of the payment due date.

Businesses also have an automatic extension to file their tax returns. Go to Businesses: Due Dates to find our tax return and payment due date information for the different business entity types.