I slowed down when I saw I was paying in some, split this year, State & Federal. I filed electronically last week. I get a State refund then the Feds will deduct my acct tomorrow for the bit I owe.

I did pay some property tax early in Dec, to use the deduction on the 2017 taxes.

I file for an extension every year and my CPA prepares my return in October. I usually get a modest refund and don't have to pay a penalty. (Yes, I know that I'm letting the government use my money interest-free for 6 months--they need it worse than I do and as a patriotic American I'm willing to do that.) I don't get off scot free in effort to file, though--my CPA prints me a workbook of a couple of dozen pages and I'm expected to go through my documents and write in the proper values in the appropriate spaces. He then checks it all out, applies the current laws, and prepares the return (for which he charges a hefty sum, but I'm glad to pay it, to have a certified person in the loop).

I've been told that, by filing in October, I probably forestall being audited since the audit queue is filled from the April returns. Not that I have any reason to fear an audit (my CPA is good and I'm not a crook), but having to go through one would be inconvenient.

flashguy