Victims of Hurricane Ida throughout Mississippi now have additional time — until January 3, 2022 — to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.
Following the recent decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to add 63 counties to its October 22 disaster declaration, the IRS is offering this expanded relief to these newly-designated localities, as well as the 19 counties listed in the original FEMA declaration.
Previously, the IRS relief period for the 63 newly-designated counties had ended on November 1. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov.
The updated relief, now covering the entire state of Mississippi, postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on August 28, 2021. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until January 3, 2022, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period. This means individuals who had a valid extension to file their 2020 return that ran out on October 15, 2021, will now have until January 3, 2022, to file. The IRS noted, however, that because tax payments related to these 2020 returns were due on May 17, 2021, those payments are not eligible for this relief.
The January 3, 2022 deadline also applies to quarterly estimated income tax payments due on September 15, 2021, and the quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on November 1, 2021. Businesses with an original or extended due date also have the additional time including, among others, calendar-year partnerships and S corporations whose 2020 extensions ran out on September 15, 2021 and calendar-year corporations whose 2020 extensions ran out on October 15, 2021. It also applies to calendar-year tax-exempt organizations whose 2020 extensions ran out on November 15, 2021.
In addition, penalties on payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after August 28, 2021 and before September 13, will be abated as long as the deposits were made by September 13, 2021.
The IRS disaster relief page has details on other returns, payments and tax-related actions qualifying for the additional time.
The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. Therefore, taxpayers do not need to contact the agency to get this relief. However, if an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date falling within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.
In addition, the IRS will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period are located in the affected area. Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227. This also includes workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization.
Individuals and businesses in a federally declared disaster area who suffered uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses can choose to claim them on either the return for the year the loss occurred (in this instance, the 2021 return normally filed next year), or the return for the prior year (2020). Be sure to write the FEMA declaration number – EM-3569 associated with the earlier relief or EM-4626 for the new relief−on any return claiming a loss. See Publication 547 for details.
The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by Hurricane Ida and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
