In the last two weeks of the filing season, I do as I always do with procrastinator clients: I e-mail or call them and ask if they would like me to file an income tax extension for them. Every year, about half of them panic and ask if I can finish their income tax returns without an extension if they just get me their information “in a day or two.”
I’m sure everyone reading this knows exactly what I’m talking about. For my part, I tell them all the same thing: If you get me all your information quickly, I’ll do what I can, but I don’t make any promises. I have found over the years that if I flat out tell them I can’t get it done, then I may not see their information until October 10. For the few that I will be able to finish by April 15, I look like a hero.
For many clients, you would think an extension is a death sentence (or possibly a fast track to something much worse … an IRS audit). But honestly, filing an extension is really not a big deal. You know it, and I know it.
I’m curious, what do you tell your clients who have a strong opposition to filing an extension? Do you have any good lines you use to put them at ease? Let me know.
