extension-communicationslisted

# Extension Communications ## When to use this Use this for client-facing messages around filing extensions: - Telling a client their return is being extended, and what that actually means. - Reassuring a client who thinks an extension means they are in trouble. - Confirming, once the extension is filed, exactly what was done and what happens next. - Sending the post-deadline work plan so extended clients do not go silent until the extended deadline. - Drafting segment templates when the firm extends dozens of clients in the same week. Do not use it to decide who gets extended, to calculate an estimated payment, or to advise on penalties. Those are practitioner decisions. ## What to gather first Never draft from memory of tax rules. Ask for: 1. Country first, every time: US, AU, NZ, UK, or CA. Extension mechanics differ enough that the wrong framing is worse than no message. In the US an extension is a specific filing; in AU and NZ, later lodgment usually flows from being on a tax agent's lodgment program rather than a one-off request. If the mechanics are unclear, keep the wording generic ("we have arranged additional time for your return") and let the practitioner tighten it. 2. For each client: - Name and return type (1040, 1120-S, 1065, trust, or the local equivalent). - The reason for extending: missing documents, pending K-1s or investment statements, complexity, or firm capacity. - Whether an estimated payment applies, whether it was or will be made, an