Income tax deadline

State income tax returns must be received or postmarked by midnight Monday, April 18th. State revenue officials are encouraging people who have not yet filed to submit their tax return electronically before Monday’s deadline.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) offers free, secure electronic tax filing from its website at revenue.wi.gov. WI e -file is available 24/7 and the program offers Wisconsin fill-in tax forms that perform the math to help prevent errors when you prepare your tax return. You will get an acknowledgement that your tax return has been received, plus your refund can be deposited directly into a savings or checking account.

If you will not meet the April 18th tax filing deadline, you must request an extension from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by April 18th to avoid penalties. Once you file the extension request, you will have until October 15, 2011, to file your tax return and pay your taxes without penalty. However, 1% interest will accrue each month on the amount due until you file.
Taxpayers who filed an extension with the IRS automatically receive a state extension. When you file your state income tax return, attach a copy of the IRS extension to your Wisconsin tax return to show that you filed the extension request. Be sure to keep a copy of the IRS’ Federal Extension Form 4868 for your records.
DOR expects approximately 3 million tax returns this season and about 75% of them will be e-filed. Currently, the average refund is $677.

Check Your Refund
You can check the status of your state income tax refund online, whether you filed electronically or in paper form. We provide the same information online and by telephone that our customer service representatives use to check the status of your refund. Visit www.revenue.wi.gov and click on “Check Your Refund” or call toll-free 866-947-7363 (WIS-RFND).