Time's up, if you got an extension on your income taxes last April

The tax filing deadline is today for the 299,000 Illinois taxpayers who requested a time extension to file their 2006 federal income tax returns.

Nationwide, about 10.2 million taxpayers filed for the six-month extension.

Sue Hales, the Illinois IRS spokeswoman, said electronic filing is available and taxpayers may e-file through a tax professional, using a computer and tax preparation software or through the IRS Free File program.

Taxpayers with incomes at or below $52,000 can file for free using the Free File link on the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov.

If you are expecting a refund, Hales says that by using e-file and direct deposit, you can get your refund in as little as 10 days.

Hales said that if you owe money and can't pay, file anyway, then work with the IRS to pay any balance due.

"Even if you can't pay the taxes you owe, you should file your return timely and pay as much as you can with your tax return to help reduce interest and penalty charges," Hales said in a news release.

"You can then request to pay the remaining balance in monthly installments by submitting Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request, with your return or when you get a notice from the IRS."