Preparing 1040 extensions

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Use this procedure to print federal and state extension forms for one client or a batch of clients.

See also 

Electronic filing note: If you paper file the extension, you can still electronically file the tax return.

Notes

  • The type of information that prints on the extension form varies depending on whether you have entered tax information to calculate a preliminary tax amount for the extension, and whether you mark the Calculate extension field on the client's Screen Ext which instructs the tax application to calculate an extension.
  • This procedure prints one copy of the extension following the government collation defined in the Return Collation dialog. If desired, you can modify this collation. For example, you can prevent the extension transmittal letter and extension filing instructions from printing with the extension by changing the print condition for the extension transmittal letter and extension filing instructions to Never in the government collation in the Return Collation dialog in Setup > 1040 Individual. Suppress client documents in the Extension Print Options dialog.
  • To view global extension options, choose Setup > 1040 Individual, click the Federal tab, and click the Extensions button. These options include setting correspondence addresses, printing the preparer's name on Form 4868, and including the projected estimated tax penalty in the balance due on extension for federal and state returns.
  1. Open the client for whom you want to file an extension. If the client does not yet exist in the current-year application, proforma a prior-year client or add a new client.
  2. If you want to print an extension without any tax amount or balance due, skip this step. The extension will print with just the taxpayer name, address, and Social Security number, and the tax and balance due fields will be blank.

    To print an extension with a tax amount or balance due, do the following:

    • In the client's Screen Ext, enter the appropriate code in the Calculate extension field.
    • Enter any additional information in Screen Ext.
    • If applicable, import general ledger balances from your general ledger application, or import data from Excel.
    • Access other input screens as needed to enter the preliminary tax data UltraTax CS should use when calculating the tax. Note that you can force the balance due on Form 4868 by entering an amount in the appropriate field in the Extension information section in Screen Ext.
  3. Each client's name and address prints on the form. For Form 4868, the tax application assumes an extended date of October 15. The tax application prompts you to enter an extended date when you request an extension on Form 2350. If you want to print an extended due date other than the default date, enter the date in Screen Ext.
  4. Choose File > Print Extensions.
  5. Click the Options button.
  6. By default, the first extension prints for both the federal and state returns. To print only the federal extension, make sure that only the Federal checkbox is marked in the Selected Returns tab of the Print Options dialog.
  7. Click the Extension Print Options tab and verify that the appropriate option is selected in the Which group box.
  8. Click OK to close the Print Options dialog.

    Note: If your security configuration allows for user-defined print options, you can set various print options for all extensions printed from this workstation.

  9. To print extensions for clients other than, or in addition to, the current client, click the Clients button and select the clients for whom extensions should print.
  10. Click the Print button.

    Notes

    • The tax application defaults to the previous extension print selection, so you may need to reset your extension print options. If you are prompted that "The selected clients will not be printed because their entity does not support the extension selected" when you print or create an electronic extension, choose File > Print Extensions, mark the Create electronic file checkbox, click the Options button, click the Extension Print Options tab, and confirm that First extension is selected in the Which group box.
    • You should reset your extension print options to First extension after you print or create a second extension.

Note: When preparing the extended return, if the extension was printed without any tax amount or balance due, you must enter the amount of any preliminary tax paid in the Paid with ext field in Screen Est. If the balance due calculated, that amount automatically appears in the Paid with ext field in Screen Est unless you have entered a different amount in that field.

Related topic: Extension FAQs

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