Form 7004 vs Form 8868: Business or Exempt Organization?
Quick answer
Form 8868 is the extension for tax-exempt organization returns: Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-T, plus Forms 1041-A, 4720, 5227, 6069, 8870 and 5330. Form 7004 is for business income tax, information and other returns.
Form 8868 itself says corporations (other than for Form 990-T), partnerships, REMICs and trusts must use Form 7004.
Side by side
| Form 7004 | Form 8868 | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Partnerships, corporations, trusts, estates and the other returns on its list | Exempt organizations and the trusts and plans on its list |
| Returns | 1065, 1120, 1120-S, 1041, 1120-POL and 29 more | 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T, 1041-A, 4720, 5227, 6069, 8870, 5330 |
| Extension | Generally 6 months (5 1/2 for trusts and estates) | Automatic 6 months for most; up to 6 months for Form 5330 |
| E-file | Yes, through a provider, except six returns | Yes, except Form 8870 (paper only) |
| Time to pay | Not extended | Not extended |
The cases that trip people up
- Political organizations filing Form 1120-POL use Form 7004, code 22.
- Homeowners associations filing Form 1120-H use Form 7004 (code 17).
- Trusts filing Form 1041-A use Form 8868, even though Form 1041 itself goes on Form 7004.
- Cooperatives filing Form 1120-C use Form 7004, code 34.
- An exempt organization's unrelated business income return (Form 990-T) uses Form 8868.
A few Form 8868 facts
- File a separate Form 8868 for each return.
- A single extension of 6 months is allowed for each type of return for a tax year.
- Form 990-N (the e-Postcard) can't be extended.
For everything else about Form 8868, see the Instructions for Form 8868. This site covers Form 7004 only.
Last reviewed: · Based on 3 IRS sources
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