IRS Announces Extensions and other Relief to Hurricane Irene Victims

The Internal Revenue Service is providing tax relief to individual and business taxpayers impacted by Hurricane Irene.

The IRS has announced that certain taxpayers in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico will receive tax relief, and other locations are expected to be added in coming days following additional damage assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The tax relief postpones certain tax filing and payment deadlines to October 31, 2011. It includes corporations and businesses that previously obtained an extension until September 15, 2011, to file their 2010 returns and individuals and businesses that received a similar extension until October 17. It also includes the estimated tax payment for the third quarter of 2011, which would normally be due September 15.

The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by the hurricane and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, individuals should visit disasterassistance.gov.

So far, IRS filing and payment relief applies to the following counties and municipalities:

- In North Carolina: Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico, and Tyrell;

- In New Jersey: Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic, and Somerset;

- In New York: Albany, Delaware, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Ulster; and

- In Puerto Rico: Caguas, Canovanas, Carolina, Cayey, Loiza, Luquillo, and San Juan.

In addition, the IRS announced it is granting taxpayers whose preparers were affected by Hurricane Irene until September 22 to file returns normally due September 15. The taxpayer's preparer must be located in an area that was under an evacuation order or a severe weather warning because of Hurricane Irene, even if the preparer is located outside of the federally declared disaster areas.

This relief, which primarily applies to corporations, partnerships, and trusts that previously obtained a tax filing extension, is available to taxpayers regardless of their location.

This relief does not apply to any tax payment requirements.