Form 1040 is Due June 15 for US Citizens Abroad

One way to get an extension on your personal tax return is to file Form 4868, the Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File US Individual Income Tax Return. Another way is to be out of the country on the official Tax Day for everyone else (April 15).

Of course, this extension doesn’t give just anyone vacationing out of the country a couple more months to complete their personal tax return on Form 1040. There are certain stipulations to receiving this automatic two-month extension of time to file. In order to qualify for the extension, you must either

• -Live outside the US and Puerto Rico and your main place of business is outside the US and Puerto Rico, or
• -Be on duty in the military or naval service outside of the US or Puerto Rico.

Special exceptions may apply if you’re serving in a combat zone or in a qualified hazardous duty area while outside the United States. If this applies to your situation, check out this IRS publication for more info on your tax deadline extension.

This extension can also apply to your spouse if you file and pay taxes jointly. If you file separately, however, the extension can only be applied to the spouse that qualifies for it.

So there ya go! If the above conditions apply to you, your personal tax deadline was automatically extended to June 15, 2017, to have your 1040 Form for the 2016 tax year submitted to the IRS. In order to alert the IRS that you do qualify for this extension, you’ll just need to attach a statement to your 1040 return explaining that.

Happy filing everyone!