The federal tax deadline is April 15 for most taxpayers, but if you're not ready to file, there's still time to request an IRS tax extension , experts say. "If you have not filed yet, don't panic. You still have many options," Candace Harden, senior tax analyst with the IRS, said during a webinar on Tuesday. One option is filing a tax extension via Form 4868 , which pushes the due date to October 15. But you still must pay taxes by the original April 15 deadline to avoid penalties and interest .