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Today I'll answer some tax questions-but first some tips for people who can't file their returns by Tuesday. For federal taxes: If you can't file your return by Tuesday, request a six-month extension by filing Form 4868 electronically or by mail. See the form for instructions. If you file this form by April 15 and your tax return by Oct. 15, you will avoid a late-filing penalty. However, if you owe additional federal tax for 2013, you must pay it with this form by April 15 to avoid interest and possibly a late-payment penalty. You can avoid this late-payment penalty (but not interest) if at least 90 percent of your total 2013 tax liability is paid by April 15 through payroll withholding, estimated tax payments or payments made with Form 4868. If you haven't completed your return, "the best thing is to pay in about 10 percent more" than you expect to owe, says Michael Gray, a San Jose certified public accountant. For California taxes: There is no need to request an extension; you automatically get one until Oct. 15. However, as with federal taxes, you must pay at least 90 percent of what you owe by April 15 to avoid a late-payment penalty. You can make this payment online from your bank or savings account without a fee using the Franchise Tax Board's Webpay system-or with a fee by using your credit card. Or you can mail a check with Form FTB 3519. (Certain high-income taxpayers must make this payment electronically.)

There will be a short wait - a year, to be precise - before savers are finally able to dip into all of their pensions for however much they require, whenever they please. That dramatic relaxation of government rules, which ends the compulsion to turn a pension fund into small monthly payments during retirement, was the highlight of the Budget 11 days ago. The Government will now give pension providers time to adjust their systems and practices. However, many of the 320,000 people preparing to retire over the next 12 months need not delay their plans. Last Thursday a number of temporary measures were introduced that will give pensions freedom to tens of thousands of people. These new rules are particularly beneficial to those with small subsidiary pensions of less than £10,000 which were saved alongside a final salary pension. The over-60s can now cash in up to three pensions of this size, taking a quarter of each tax-free. Several other measures, detailed below, also give savers greater choice over how to use money reserved for later years. They will enable some to clear mortgage debts or fund activities or gifts to children that were previously thought to be out of financial reach. The Budget changes also represent a call to action for workers in their 50s. Many pension plans are designed specifically to be converted into an annuity when the saver retires. In addition, the City watchdog will this summer initiate an inquiry into old pension plans and other investments sold before the turn of the millennium, which could offer an escape route to those trapped in high-charging policies. However, some older policies contain perks such as guaranteed payout rates that turn each £100,000 into as much as £11,000 a year. Read full: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/10730617/How-to-tap-into-your-small-pension-pots.html