WASHINGTON — Here’s a little secret for all you procrastinators on Tax Day: The Internal Revenue Service doesn’t like to talk about it, but as long as you don’t owe any additional taxes, there is no penalty for filing a few days late.
The late filing penalty is usually 5 percent of the unpaid taxes for each month — or part of a month — a return is late. That can add up quickly if you owe additional taxes. But what if the unpaid taxes are zero? Five percent of zero is ... zero!
