The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has very clear deadlines on the paperwork it demands from citizens, and taxes are no exception. Almost every year April 15 is the last day to file federal taxes all across the country, but this year Alabama, Georgia, Alabama, Georgia North Carolina, South Carolina as well as parts of Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia will have an extension on this deadline all the way to May 1 due to Hurricane Helene.
The issues in these states go all the way back to September 2024, when Hurricane Helene hit the coast of the US and decimated a multitude of towns and cities. Although relief efforts were quick to step in, when a natural disaster happens, many residents in the area lose everything, and everything regrettably also includes financial information.
Nowadays, most information is online or can be easily replaced electronically, but it stands to reason that it takes time and effort to do so, and after devastation, food, shelter and other basic necessities take precedence over paperwork.
The new IRS tax deadline to file in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene
As we have stated, Alabama, Georgia, Alabama, Georgia North Carolina, South Carolina have a blanket extension until May 1 to file their taxes because of the damage, but it is only parts of Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia that will be allowed to take advantage of the same policy. Only 41 counties in Florida, eight in Tennessee, and six counties and one city in Virginia are eligible due to how the damage was reported in the state.
Since the damage was so extensive, the areas that were declared federal disaster zones by FEMA following the hurricane and its aftermath are the only ones that have the right to this extension. If you want to know of your specific county is eligible for the extension, you can check by accessing the IRS disaster relief site for the updated list.
Although the most common extension is for filing personal taxes, do remember that this is not the only deadline that has been extended. Other filings and payments also qualify, like:
- 2024 federal returns for individuals and businesses that would normally be due in March or April.
- 2023 returns that were on valid extension, though any tax due from last year was still due in 2024.
- Estimated payments: both the one due on January 15, 2025, and the usual April 15 payment for Q1 of 2025.
- Quarterly payroll and excise taxes due on October 31, January 31, and April 30.
- Some penalties for late deposits related to payroll and excise taxes may also be waived, depending on where you are.
But for those that do not think that May 1 is enough of an extension and they need more time to file, they will have to do so individually and using paper forms. As the IRS explains on their website “Anyone who needs a tax filing extension beyond May 1, 2025, for tax year 2024 can get it, but they must request the extra time. […] The IRS urges anyone who needs an extension to request it electronically by April 15, 2025. Though disaster-area taxpayers also qualify to request a tax filing extension between April 15 and May 1, 2025, these requests cannot be filed electronically. They can be filed only on paper using Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Whether filed electronically or on paper, the extension will give a taxpayers until Oct. 15, 2025, to file their 2024 return.”
However, this potential extension does not include tax payments. They IRS still expect those to be filed by May 1.