“If you're owed a refund, there's no penalty for filing late, but you still need to file to get your money.”

“File your return as soon as you can, because the IRS penalty for not filing is about 5% per month, up to 25%, while the penalty for filing but not paying is only about half a percent per month. If you owe, pay what you can now and set up a payment plan online at irs.gov; hiding only makes the wound deeper.”

“File now, even if you can't pay and even if the numbers aren't perfect. The failure-to-file penalty is the one that hurts: 5% per month, and it stacks on top of the failure-to-pay hit. I've watched people turn a manageable bill into a nightmare because they ghosted the IRS.”

“File as soon as you can, because if you owe money the interest and penalties keep running every day past the deadline. If you are due a refund, there is no penalty for filing late, but you only have three years to claim it before it becomes Treasury property.”

“File as soon as you can, even if you can't pay the full amount. The failure-to-file penalty is usually much steeper than the failure-to-pay penalty, and paying something now stops the worst of the bleeding.”

“The IRS will stack a late-filing penalty, a late-payment penalty, and interest on whatever you owe, so the bill grows fast. File the return as soon as you can anyway, because if you do not owe, there is no penalty, and if you do owe, every day of delay costs more.”

“The CRA will charge a 5% late-filing penalty on what you owe, plus 1% for every full month you are late, and interest compounds daily on top of that. File now, even if you cannot pay in full, because the penalty clock only stops once the return is in.”

“The worst thing you can do now is keep waiting, because the failure-to-file penalty is 5% of what you owe every month, and that stings a lot more than the failure-to-pay penalty. File as soon as you can, even if you can't pay yet, then call the IRS or a preparer to set up a payment plan or request penalty abatement if you have a clean history.”

“The worst thing you can do now is keep waiting. File as soon as you can, because the failure-to-file penalty is usually 5% per month on what you owe, and it stacks fast. If you are due a refund, the penalty does not apply, but you still need to claim it.”