IR-2021-180, September 9, 2021
WASHINGTON — Victims of Hurricane Ida in parts of Mississippi now have until November 1, 2021, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today.
The IRS is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for individual or public assistance. Currently, individuals and households affected by Hurricane Ida that reside or have a business in all 82 counties and the Mississippi Choctaw Indian Reservation qualify for tax relief. The current list of eligible localities is always available on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov.
"The IRS stands ready to help people and businesses affected by Hurricane Ida, now and in the weeks ahead," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.
The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on Aug. 28, 2021. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until November 1, 2021, 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 due to run out on October 15, 2021, will now have until November 1, 2021, 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 November 1, 2021 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 run out on September 15, 2021 and calendar-year corporations whose 2020 extensions run out on October 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 are 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 − 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.