47.2 When To File a Refund Claim
You may file a refund claim on Form 1040X within three years from the time your return was filed, or within two years from the time you paid your tax, whichever is later. However, a refund claim on a late-filed return may be barred under a three-year “look back” rule; see below. A return filed before its due date is treated as having been filed on the due date. If you had a filing extension and filed before the extension deadline, your return is considered filed on the actual filing date. The filing deadlines are suspended if you are unable to manage your finacial affairs; see the Planning Reminder on the next page.
A refund claim based on a bad debt or worthless securities may be made within seven years of the due date of the return for the year in which the debt or security became worthless.
Get J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax 2013: For Preparing Your 2012 Tax Return now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.