You can still file your 2024 federal tax return late , even if you missed the April 15, 2025, deadline (or the October 15, 2025, extension deadline). The key is to file as soon as possible and pay what you owe to limit penalties and interest.

1. What ā€œlateā€ actually means for 2024

For tax year 2024, the original federal filing deadline was April 15, 2025 (or the next business day if that falls on a weekend/holiday).

If you filed Form 4868 (extension) by that date, your deadline moved to October 15, 2025.

  • If you file after either deadline , the IRS treats it as a late return.
  • If you owe tax , you may face:
    • Failureā€‘toā€‘file penalty : up to 5% of unpaid tax per month , max 25%.
* **Failureā€‘toā€‘pay penalty** : about **0.5% per month** on unpaid tax, plus **interest**.

2. How to actually file a late 2024 return

You can file late the same way you would file on timeā€”just choose the 2024 tax year in your software or on paper.

Stepā€‘byā€‘step (most common path)

  1. Gather your 2024 documents
    • Wā€‘2s, 1099ā€‘NEC/1099ā€‘MISC, 1099ā€‘INT, 1099ā€‘DIV, 1099ā€‘R, etc.
    • Records of estimated payments, credits (EITC, child tax credit), and deductions.
  1. Choose how to file
    • Online tax software (e.g., TurboTax, FreeTaxUSA, Jackson Hewitt Online, H&R Block).
 * **Free File options** if your income is low enough (IRS Free File or stateā€‘sponsored programs).

 * **Paper return** mailed to the correct IRS address for your state.
  1. Select ā€œ2024ā€ tax year
    • In most software, you pick the year at the start; choose 2024 , not 2025.
  1. File and pay what you owe
    • If you owe , pay by direct debit, credit card, or EFTPS when you eā€‘file, or mail a check with your paper return.
 * If you **are due a refund** , you generally **wonā€™t be penalized for filing late** , but you must file within **3 years** to claim it.

3. If you already missed the deadline

If you never filed or missed the October 15, 2025, extension deadline, hereā€™s what to do:

  • File the 2024 return now , even if itā€™s months or a year late.
  • Pay as much as you can to reduce penalties and interest.
  • If you canā€™t pay the full amount, consider:
    • Shortā€‘term payment plan (up to 120 days, usually no setup fee).
* **Longā€‘term installment agreement** (Form 9465 or set up online via IRS Direct Pay).

The IRS sometimes offers penalty relief programs (e.g., firstā€‘time penalty abatement) if you have a clean history and reasonable cause.

4. Late filing vs. owing vs. getting a refund

Situation| Penalty risk| What to do
---|---|---
You owe tax and file late (no extension)| Yes: failureā€‘toā€‘file + failureā€‘toā€‘pay penalties + interest. 39| File now, pay as much as possible, then set up a payment plan.
You owe tax but filed extension on time| No failureā€‘toā€‘file penalty, but still owe interest and possible failureā€‘toā€‘pay if underpaid. 13| File 2024 return and pay balance or set up a plan.
You are due a refund| No penalty for filing late, but must file within 3 years to claim refund. 37| File 2024 return as soon as possible to get your refund.

5. Extra help and ā€œlatest newsā€ context

If your 2024 return is complicated (selfā€‘employment, rental income, crypto, multiple states), many people use a tax pro or services like Jackson Hewitt, H&R Block, or a local CPA to file late returns and negotiate with the IRS.

Recent guidance and forum discussions (r/IRS, r/tax, r/Adulting) emphasize:

  • Donā€™t ignore the problem ā€”filing late is almost always better than not filing.
  • Act now to cap how much penalty and interest accumulate.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.