irs

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has granted tax relief to postpone various tax filing and payment deadlines for certain filings or payments that were due on or after August 11, 2016.  The relief postpones the filing deadlines or payment deadlines until January 17, 2017.  Therefore, this extension will include the September 15th deadline for making quarterly estimated tax payments.  For individuals, it will also include the 2015 income tax returns that had not been filed and were on extension until October 17, 2016.  However, the extension does not apply to the tax payments related to the 2015 returns because those amounts were originally due prior to the disaster on April 18, 2016.

Business tax deadlines are also affected by the extension including the September 15th deadline for corporation and partnership returns on extension and the October 31 deadline for quarterly payroll and excise tax returns.

Furthermore, the IRS indicated that they are waiving late deposit penalties for federal payroll and excise tax deposits normally due on or after August 11th and before August 26th if the deposits are made by August 26, 2016.

Only taxpayers considered to be “affected taxpayers” are eligible for the postponement of time to file returns, pay taxes and perform other time sensitive acts allowed by the extension.  The “affected taxpayers” include:

  1. Any individual whose principal residence, and any business entity whose principal place of business, is located in the parishes designated as disaster areas;
  2. Any individual who is a relief worker assisting in a covered disaster area, regardless of whether he is affiliated with recognized government or philanthropic organization;
  3. Any individual whose principal residence and any business entity whose principal place of business is not located in a covered disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a filing or payment deadline are maintained in a covered disaster area;
  4. Any estate or trusts that has tax records necessary to meet a filing or payment deadline in a covered disaster area; and
  5. Any spouse of an affected taxpayer, solely with regard to a joint return of the spouses.

As of August 17, 2016, the only parishes listed by the IRS as qualifying for the above relief were the parishes of Acadia, Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Vermilion, Washington and West Feliciana.  However, it is possible that additional parishes will be added after that date for any other parishes that FEMA adds to the disaster declaration so anyone who believes they were affected by the 2016 flood should verify whether or not their parish has been added to the list of parishes qualifying for the relief by the IRS.

For updates or more information on the IRS tax relief for the Louisiana flood, click here. This page should be updated as the IRS adds additional parishes to the disaster relief.