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Each year, millions of taxpayers elect to extend the filing of their tax return. But what does that mean? Range explains what IRS tax extensions are and how to request one.

IRS Tax Extensions, Explained

A tax extension allows you to take up to an additional six months to file your tax return, extending your deadline to Oct. 15 (or the next business day if the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday). The IRS does not require a reason to extend a return, and any taxpayer can do so. However, it’s important to understand the difference between filing and paying your taxes—these can have different deadlines.

You Must Still Pay Your Taxes by the April Deadline

When it comes to timing your taxes, payment matters more than filing. There is little a taxpayer can do to defer payment for the previous year after April 15 (or the following business day if the 15th falls on a holiday or weekend). The good news: You don’t have to know your exact tax liability on April 15. As long as you can calculate (or have a professional help calculate) at least how much tax is owed, you can cover the entire bill on time and avoid underpayment penalties.

Does Filing an Extension Incur Penalties?

No. As long as the extension is filed and accepted by the original due date in April, there are no penalties. Once a request to extend is filed on time, taxpayers have until Oct. 15 to submit their final return before the IRS charges any failure-to-file penalties.

How Do I File an Extension?

The IRS offers several methods for filing an extension:

1. Pay online and elect extension treatment: Pay your estimated tax balance through the IRS Direct Pay portal and select the option to treat it as an extension.
2. Use IRS Free File: Electronically request an extension using the IRS Free File tool.
3. Work with a tax professional: Have your CPA or tax preparer file an extension on your behalf and advise on payment.
4. Request by mail: File Form 4868 by mail. You can pay electronically or include payment as directed in the form instructions.

Step-by-step guides to filing your 2026 tax extension are available online.

How Much Do I Need to Pay in April After Extending?

Since calculating the exact amount due by April isn’t always practical, many extension payments are rounded to estimated figures. A tax professional can help you determine your tax balance. For taxpayers who make quarterly estimated payments, some professionals calculate an additional sum to include in the extension payment to cover the Q1 tax liability (which is also due on April 15) in addition to the previous year’s balance.

Do I Need to Make Estimated Tax Payments?

Quarterly tax payments don’t apply to all taxpayers. They&#

Por Elizabeth Wolfe y Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN

Mientras las tensiones alcanzaban su punto máximo en Minnesota esta semana, el Gobierno de Trump envió al zar de la frontera de la Casa Blanca, Tom Homan, quien dijo que está listo para calmar los ánimos, aliviar las frustraciones y reducir el número de agentes federales en la ciudad, todo mientras mantiene el enfoque en los objetivos de deportación sin precedentes del presidente.

Homan anunció el jueves que está trabajando en un plan para reducir eventualmente el número de agentes federales en el estado. Pero dijo que el movimiento dependerá de si las autoridades locales permiten que el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE, por sus siglos en inglés) tome custodia de inmigrantes en prisiones y cárceles.

“Más agentes en la cárcel significa menos agentes en la calle”, dijo Homan.

A las pocas horas, el presidente Donald Trump pareció contradecirlo.

Al preguntarle si retiraría agentes de inmigración, Trump dijo: “Haremos todo lo que podamos para mantener nuestro país seguro”. Al insistirle si no los retiraría, Trump dijo: “No, no. En absoluto.”

En una ciudad donde las detenciones se han producido principalmente en las calles, los comentarios de Homan han resaltado una batalla que se ha estado desarrollando en segundo plano. Durante semanas, funcionarios federales y estatales han estado intercambiando críticas sobre el tema de las órdenes de detención de ICE —que permiten a ICE tomar custodia de inmigrantes encarcelados— ya que ninguna de las partes se pone de acuerdo sobre cuántas de estas personas existen en el sistema, según informó CNN.

Funcionarios de correccionales estatales acusaron al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés) de presentar “información errónea” sobre cuántas órdenes de detención de ICE hay en el estado.

Incluso cuando Homan adopta un tono más conciliador en nombre del Gobierno de Trump, aún está por verse si los funcionarios están listos para llegar a un acuerdo o cuánto tiempo tomará la reducción de agentes.

Esto es lo que necesitas saber.

Si ICE considera que existe causa probable para detener a un migrante que está en prisión o cárcel, puede enviar una solicitud formal —conocida como orden de detención de ICE— a las fuerzas del orden pidiendo que notifiquen a ICE antes de que la persona sea liberada. También puede pedir que el detenido sea retenido hasta 48 horas después de su fecha de liberación programada, para poder entregarlo a la custodia federal.

Según la ley de Minnesota, las oficinas del sheriff deben notificar a ICE si una persona que va a ser liberada ha sido condenada por un delito grave y esa persona no es ciudadana, según la oficina del fiscal general de Minnesota, Keith Ellison. En todos los demás casos, como delitos menores, “depende de cada condado decidir”, dijo un portavoz.

El Departamento de Correccionales de Minnesota ha cumplido con las órdenes de detención de ICE y cooperado con las autoridades federales, dijo Homan el jueves. Ahora el Gobierno busca cooperación de las cárceles locales.

Cuando la Operación Metro Surge entró en pleno apogeo a principios de este mes, más de 3.000 agentes federales de inmigración llegaron a Minnesota, llevando a cabo detenciones masivas y enfrentándose a manifestantes en confrontaciones tensas.

El gobernador de Minnesota, Tim Walz, hizo un “llamado directo” a Trump en una publicación del 15 de enero en X, diciendo: “Bajemos la temperatura”.

ICE respondió con su propia publicación: “La responsabilidad es tuya, gobernador.

proslgn // Shutterstock

Portugal’s Golden Visa (ARI) program issued fewer residence permits in 2024 than the previous year, but family reunification permits linked to the program nearly doubled. The shift, documented in Portugal’s latest official migration reporting, marks a notable change in the program’s profile after years of policy revisions. Movingto analyzed the latest official migration data to track these changes.

The numbers

In 2024, Portugal issued 2,081 ARI residence permits, down from 2,901 in 2023—a 28% decline year over year, according to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA)’s annual migration and asylum report.

At the same time, family reunification permits linked to ARI rose to 2,909 in 2024, up from 1,554 in 2023—an 87% increase.

Moveto

Moveto

Who’s applying?

The most recent nationality breakdown, published for 2023, shows the United States led with 567 permits, followed by China with 306.

Historical context

The Golden Visa—formally the Autorização de Residência para Atividade de Investimento (ARI)—launched in October 2012. Official reporting from the program’s first decade shows:

• More than €7.3 billion in total investment (October 2012–October 2023)
• Over 12,700 main applicants
• More than 33,000 total beneficiaries, including family members
• Real estate routes accounting for roughly 88%–90% of historical investment

The 2022 annual reporting (RIFA 2022) provides a granular snapshot: €654.3 million in total ARI investment that year, with property purchases representing €534.6 million across 1,008 investments.

What may explain the shift?

The program has undergone significant changes in recent years, including restrictions on real estate investment routes and the administrative transition from Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF) to AIMA. These changes created a complex operating environment that can influence year-to-year totals.

The data doesn’t explain causation, but it shows a clear pattern: fewer new ARI permits, more family reunification.

Methodology

This story summarizes publicly available reporting from Portuguese migration authorit

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