IRS Extends Tax Deadlines for Joplin Tornado Victims

In the aftermath of the devastating tornado Sunday in the Joplin, Mo., area, the Internal Revenue Service is giving victims additional time to meet their tax obligations.

Individual and business taxpayers in Jasper County now have until Aug. 1, 2011, to file various returns and pay any taxes due. In addition, federal employment and excise tax deposits due on or after May 22 are now due June 6, 2011.

This relief applies to Jasper County victims of the May 22 tornado as well as earlier storms and flooding that began April 19. For any affected taxpayer, a filing or payment deadline falling on or after April 19 and before Aug. 1 is postponed until Aug. 1, 2011. The postponement also applies to other time-sensitive actions required to be performed during this period including the June 15 deadline for making the estimated tax payment for the second quarter of 2011.

The filing, payment and deposit deadlines for other Missouri counties affected by recent storms remain unchanged. See IRS.gov for more information.

Separately, the IRS has also updated the information on its Web site about the tax relief offered to victims of the severe storms and floods last month in Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee after the Federal Emergency Management Agency added more counties to its list of FEMA disaster areas. After the President declares them to be disaster areas, the declaration permits the IRS to postpone certain deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area. For instance, certain deadlines falling on or after April 22 and on or before June 30 have been postponed to June 30.

In addition, the IRS is waiving the failure-to-deposit penalties for employment and excise tax deposits due on or after April 22 and on or before May 9, 2011, as long as the deposits were made by May 9, 2011.

If an affected taxpayer receives a penalty notice from the IRS, the taxpayer should call the telephone number on the notice to have the IRS abate any interest and any late filing or late payment penalties that would otherwise apply. Penalties or interest will be abated only for taxpayers who have an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date, including an extended filing or payment due date, that falls within the postponement period.

The IRS automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies automatic filing and payment relief. But affected taxpayers who reside or have a business located outside the covered disaster area must call the IRS disaster hotline at 1-(866) 562-5227 to request this tax relief.

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