Following emergency declaration, IRS tax filing and payment extension provides COVID-19 payment relief.
All income tax returns with a due date of April 15, 2020 will automatically be extended to July 15, 2020. Taxpayers do not need to take any actions to request this extension. In addition, any payment of tax due with the filing of the 2019 federal return can be delayed until July 15. No interest will be assessed for any period of time between April 15 and July 15.
- If you are expecting a refund, there is no reason you need to wait to file your return
- If you are able to file your return and pay the associated taxes by July 15, then the IRS does not require you to take any action prior to July 15
- If you cannot file your return by July 15, you have until that date to request an extension. The extended return due date will be October 15, 2020, however any anticipated balance due must be paid by July 15 to avoid accrual of interest
State Taxes
State Individual Income Tax Returns
Most states with income taxes have extended their individual income tax return and payment deadlines to July 15, but not all have. Some states have extended their due dates to a different date, and other states are not allowing any extension of time to file tax returns. Further, some states which have granted additional time to file income tax returns have not suspended the accrual of interest during the delay. Check filing and payment dates in your state.
In most cases, no action is required to take advantage of the delayed filing and payment deadlines. Action is only required for the residents of a few states. You could fall into one of three categories:
- You may be able to delay the filing of your state income tax return to July 15 without needing to take any action. This would be the case if your state has indicated that it will adopt the automatic extension until July 15. However, it may still be necessary to make a payment of state tax to avoid the accrual of interest during this time
- You may be able to delay the filing of your state income tax return to some date other than July 15 (as announced by your state) without needing to take any action. This is applicable if your state announced an automatic extension to a date other than July 15. Again, it may be necessary to make a payment of state tax to avoid the accrual of interest during this time
- You may need to file a separate state‐specific form in order to request an extension of your state return. This is only applicable if your state has not announced a delay of the return due dates
As mentioned above, if you expect to receive a refund of state income taxes, you may choose to file before any of these deadlines.
