IRS: Kentucky Storm Victims Qualify For Tax Relief

By Janie Slaven, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky. (TNS)

The IRS announced tax relief for individuals and businesses in parts of Kentucky affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides and mudslides that began on April 2, 2024.

These taxpayers now have until Nov. 1, 2024, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make payments.

The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Currently, individuals and households that reside or have a business in Boyd, Carter, Fayette, Greenup, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Mason, Oldham, Union and Whitley counties qualify for tax relief.

The same relief will be available to any other counties added later to the disaster area. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the tax relief in disaster situations (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-relief-in-disaster-situations) page on IRS.gov.

Filing and payment relief

The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred from April 2, 2024, through Nov. 1, 2024 (postponement period). As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Nov. 1, 2024, to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.

This means, for example, that the Nov. 1, 2024, deadline will now apply to:

Individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2024.
2023 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers.
Quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on April 15, June 17 and Sept. 16, 2024.
Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on April 30, July 31 and Oct. 31, 2024.
Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2024.
Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2024.

In addition, penalties for failing to make payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after April 2, 2024, and before April 17, 2024, will be abated as long as the deposits were made by April 17, 2024.

The disaster assistance and emergency relief for individuals and businesses page has details on other returns, payments and tax-related actions qualifying for relief during the postponement period.

The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. These taxpayers do not need to contact the agency to get this relief.

It is possible an affected taxpayer may not have an IRS address of record located in the disaster area, for example, because they moved to the disaster area after filing their return. In these kinds of unique circumstances, the affected taxpayer could receive a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS for 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. Disaster area tax preparers with clients located outside the disaster area can choose to use the bulk requests from practitioners for disaster relief option, described on IRS.gov.

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