Individuals and businesses in New England affected by severe weather in the past four months have extra time to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The Internal Revenue Service is offering relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Maine taxpayers affected by severe storms and flooding that began on Jan. 9 now have until July 15 to file and pay. Currently, individuals and households that reside or have a business in Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington and York Counties qualify for this relief.
Other counties may be added later. (Eligible localities on filing relief nationwide are on the
The relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurrsed from Jan. 9 through July 15. The new July deadline applies to these deadlines this year:
- Individual income tax returns and payments due on April 15.
- 2023 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers.
- Quarterly estimated income tax payments due on Jan. 16, April 15 and June 17.
- Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns due on Jan. 31 and April 30.
- Calendar-year partnership and S corp returns due on March 15.
- Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments due on April 15.
- Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns due on May 15.
Penalties for failing to make payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after Jan. 9, 2024, and before Jan. 24, 2024, will also be abated if the deposits were made by last Jan. 24.
Rhode Island taxpayers impacted by severe storms that began on Dec. 17, 2023, and Jan. 9, 2024, now also have until July 15 this year to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
Currently, individuals and households that reside or have a business in Kent, Providence and Washington Counties qualify. Other counties may be added later.
Among other things, this means that 2023 individual and business tax returns and tax payments are now due on July 15. The tax relief also applies to quarterly estimated tax payments, normally due on Jan. 16, 2024, April 15, and June 17, 2024.
Penalties on payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after Dec. 17, 2023, and before Jan. 2, 2024, will be abated as long as the tax deposits were made by Jan. 2.
The July 15 deadline applies to affected Rhode Island businesses:
- Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns due on Jan. 31, 2024, and April 30, 2024.
- Calendar-year partnership and S corp returns due on March 15, 2024.
- Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments due on April 15, 2024.
- Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2024.
Taxpayers who need an additional tax-filing extension beyond this July 15 for their 2023 federal income tax return should request it electronically by April 15. Though a taxpayer in this disaster area qualifies to request an extension between April 15 and July 15, 2024, a request filed during this period can be submitted only on paper.
Whether the extension is requested electronically or on paper, the taxpayer will have until Oct. 15 to file. Payments are still due on July 15.
The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an address of record in the disaster area. If an affected taxpayer does not have an address in the disaster area (because, for example, they moved to the disaster area after filing their return), and they receive a late-filing or late-payment penalty notice from the IRS for the postponement period, they should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.
The agency will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but has records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period in the affected area. Qualifying taxpayers who live outside the disaster area should call the IRS at (866) 562-5227, including workers assisting the relief activities who are 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 claim them on either the return for the year the loss occurred (in this instance, the 2023 return normally filed this year) or the return for the prior year (2022).
Taxpayers have up to six months after the due date of their federal income tax return for the disaster year (without regard to any extension of time to file) to make the election. For individual taxpayers, this means Oct. 15, 2024. Taxpayers should write the FEMA declaration number — 4764-DR for Maine taxpayers, 4765-DR or 4766-DR for Rhode Island taxpayers (see IRS information
