Maybe youre busy; maybe youre just lazy.

If you still havent filed your taxes,were not here to judge.

Were here to help.

Well start with the good news: you have three extra days to file.

The 15th is a holiday in D.C., so this years deadline is Monday, April 18th.

Heres a step-by-step guide to get everything together on time.

Tip: The late filing penalty can be 10 times higher than the late payment penalty.

you’re free to always amend it later.

In fact, you have three years to file and still get your money.

After that, your forfeit your refund and it becomes property of the U.S. Treasury.

However, the bottom line is: theres no penalty for filing late if the IRS owes you money.

(The only penalty is knowing you overpaid your taxes, but thats on you).

If you dont, youre on the hook for that late payment penalty.

Youll get six more months to file without being penalized.

Dont give a shot to get one over on the IRS, either.

For that reason, its probably best to err on the side of overpaying.

Again, if you expect to get a refund, you dont have much to worry about.

However, look up thespecific rules for your state here, because they may vary.

If you dont have the money to pay,you have a few options.

Youll still have to pay interest, but the late payment penalty will be waived.

The IRSdetails all the rules here.

you might apply using aCollection Information Statement(Form 433-F, Form 433-A or Form 433-B).

Its called anOffer in Compromise.

The IRShas a pre-qualifier tool, though, so it may be worth seeing if this an option.

With a short-term payment plan, you have 120 days to pay.

They wont charge you a fee for this,but you will pay interestand a late payment penalties.

Since youre on a payoff plan, though, the penalties and interest you owe are reduced.

If you have a standard agreement or payroll deduction plan, youre charged $105.

You still have to pay interest and penalties, too.

The IRSdetails their payment options in full here.

If your app is rejected and its past the tax deadline, your penalties and interest will start accruing.

The IRS also offers some payment relief formilitary membersand residents inareas affected by disaster in 2015. you might use theIRS Free File optionand submit your return online.

Of course, you might file a paper return, too.

The IRS tells youwhere to fileandwhich form you need here.

Maybe youre self-employed, though, and you need help with your deductions.

Or maybe youre a freelancer and you have a whole mess of 1099s to go through.

Or maybe you have a handful of investment accounts and more paperwork than you know what to deal with.

The IRS has a newtax preparer directoryto help you find one.

Of course, theres the tried-and-true in between option of filingwith the help of tax software.

They also tend toraise their prices as you get closer to the deadline.

I pay about $150 to file with TurboTax every year.

Next year it may just be worth handing over all my paperwork to a professional.

Then, get ready to power through it.

Heres how to streamline the process.

Gather Your Documents and Forms

Youll need your W-2s, 1099s, receipts and so on.

In short, keep receipts and statements forall of the deductions youll takeat tax time.

Your tax software or preparer should walk you through this process.

Job hunting costs:you could deductthe cost of travel and other expenses, like preparing a resume.

confirm to claim all of your credits, too.

Theres theEarned Income Tax Credit, theEducation Credit, and theSavers Credit.

you’ve got the option to look upwhere to mail it here.