WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued an important reminder to taxpayers in disaster-stricken areas who received extensions to file their 2022 returns. These taxpayers are now facing a looming deadline of February 15, 2024, to submit their paperwork.
Eligibility for the extension was granted to those impacted by a series of disasters that unfolded between August 8 and October 9, 2023. The catastrophic events ranged from Hurricanes Idalia and Lee, Tropical Storm Bolaven, wildfires in Hawaii, seawater intrusion in Louisiana, to storms and flooding in Illinois. However, it’s worth noting that payments attached to these returns were not eligible for the extended deadline as they were originally due last spring, prior to the onset of these calamities.
Deadline for filing on Feb 15th applies to eligible locations:
- Forty-nine counties in Florida.
- Thirty-two counties In Georgia.
- All of Guam.
- Maui and Hawaii counties in Hawaii.
- Cook County in Illinois.
- Five parishes in Louisiana.
- All 16 counties in Maine.
- All 14 counties in Massachusetts.
- Six islands in the Northern Mariana Islands.
- All 46 counties in South Carolina.
The IRS typically offers relief measures, such as pushing back various tax filing and payment deadlines, to any region designated as a disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This relief is automatically extended to individual and business taxpayers whose registered address falls within a disaster-area locality, without any need to request additional time. Updated lists of eligible regions are consistently maintained on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov.
Furthermore, the IRS is willing to work with taxpayers who reside outside the disaster areas but whose necessary records to meet a deadline during the postponement period are located within the affected zones. This provision also extends to individuals who assisted with relief activities and are affiliated with an acknowledged government body or philanthropic organization. To avail of this relief, qualified taxpayers living outside the disaster areas must contact the IRS at 866-562-5227.
Apart from those who secured extensions for their 2022 returns, there are other returns, payments, and time-sensitive tax-related actions that qualify for the February 15 deadline. The IRS urges taxpayers to check the disaster relief page on their website for more details, particularly the disaster relief announcements for each state and territory.
For additional information on disaster recovery, taxpayers can visit disasterassistance.gov.
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