April 15th is looming for all of us. We’ve already passed the two week mark, and some people are starting to realize that they just won’t be able to get all their paperwork done before Tax Day arrives. Don’t worry if you find yourself in that particular situation, though: you can get an extension on your taxes by filing just one form. Of course, there are some facts you need to know if you want to take advantage of that extension.

1. You need to get your form in before April 15th. In order to extend the due date for your income tax return, you need to file a copy of IRS Form 4868 (available as a PDF). As far of tax forms go, Form 4868 isn’t bad — it’s three and a half pages of instruction and just a half page to complete. However, you will need to have some idea of your estimated tax liability for the year when you fill out the form.
2. When you file for an extension with the IRS, you’re only requesting more time to complete your tax return — you won’t be getting more time to actually pay your taxes. Whether or not you submit a request for an extension, the IRS expects to be paid in full by April 15th. You can submit a payment without a completed tax return, assuming the paperwork is the main issue. Requesting an extension but leaving an unpaid balance can result in penalties and interest.
3. You will need to mail in your Form 4868 to the appropriate address: there are addresses for each region listed in the instructions for the form. You have a variety of options for payment — you can include a check with your form, pay online or even use a credit card.
4. In some cases, you may not actually need to file paperwork in order to get an extension. If you are out of the country on April 15th, you get an automatic extension of two months on your tax return — though you have to live or work primarily outside of the U.S. in order to take advantage of that extension, or be in the military and stationed outside of the U.S.
5. The IRS can choose to refuse an extension: technically Form 4868 is just an application for an extension. However, it’s relatively rare for an extension to be refused, and you can appeal it. The cases in which the IRS will refuse to grant an extension include those individuals who are under court order to file their tax return by April 15th.
6. An extension gives you until October 15th to complete your return. It’s very rare for the IRS to grant further extensions beyond that date, although some exceptions have been made for taxpayers living abroad. That means it’s crucial to complete your taxes within the six-month extension period if you won’t have them in by April 15th. It’s also worth noting that not completing your taxes by April 15th can make filling out related forms, like the FAFSA, problematic.

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