Disaster recovery

Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and the recent wildfires in California have affected millions of people and led to an outpouring of charitable gifts and donations, including contributions from businesses with employees in the path of the disasters.

The recent string of devastating hurricanes and wildfires in the U.S. and its territories has prompted questions about financial reporting by companies striving to recover from natural disasters while wrestling with their insurance companies over damage claims.

While many victims of the recent hurricanes and storms remain busy salvaging what they can and seeing what their insurance will cover, they also want to know what tax help they're entitled to.

When the extent of their losses becomes clear, hurricane victims will want to know what tax help they're entitled to.

It certainly won’t be their first step after Harvey, Irma or Maria, but taxpayers will eventually need to reproduce or find copies of their documents.

The Internal Revenue Service released guidance Wednesday to give tax relief to residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who have evacuated the islands or were unable to return because of Hurricanes Irma or Maria.

The private sector added 135,000 jobs in September, according to the payroll giant ADP, as the recent hurricanes put a dent in job growth.

The spate of recent hurricanes appears to have dampened small business employment growth last month in some parts of the country, according to figures from payroll giant Paychex.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is providing regulatory relief and assistance to accountants, public companies, investment firms, municipal advisors and other affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

The Internal Revenue Service is lending a hand to victims of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria by offering temporary relief from some requirements of the tax code to owners and operators of low-income housing projects who have room to shelter some of the displaced people.