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• Help for Disaster Victims: English | Spanish | ASL
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Disaster Assistance: English | Spanish

WASHINGTON –– After Monday’s devastating tornado in Moore and Oklahoma City,   the Internal Revenue Service today provided tax relief to individuals and businesses affected by this and other severe storms occurring in parts of Oklahoma.

Following Monday’s disaster declaration for individual assistance issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the IRS announced today that affected taxpayers in Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties will receive special tax relief. Other locations may be added in coming days based on additional damage assessments by FEMA.

The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on May 18, 2013. As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Sept. 30, 2013 to file these returns and pay any taxes due. This includes the June 17 and Sept. 16 deadlines for making estimated tax payments. A variety of business tax deadlines are also affected including the July 31 deadline for second quarter payroll and excise tax returns and the Sept. 3 deadline for truckers filing highway use tax returns.

The IRS will abate any interest, late-payment or late-filing penalty that would otherwise apply. The agency automatically provides this relief to any taxpayer located in the disaster area. Taxpayers need not contact the IRS to get this relief.

Beyond the relief provided to taxpayers in the FEMA-designated counties, the IRS will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but whose books, records or tax professional are located in the areas affected by these storms. All workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization also qualify for relief.  Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227.

Individuals and businesses who suffered uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses can choose to claim them on either last year’s or this year’s return. Claiming these casualty loss deductions on either an original or amended 2012 return will get the taxpayer an earlier refund but waiting to claim them on a 2013 return could result in greater tax savings depending upon other income factors.

In addition, the IRS is waiving failure-to-deposit penalties for federal payroll and excise tax deposits normally due on or after May 18 and before June 3 if the deposits are made by June 3, 2013. Details on available relief can be found on the disaster relief page on IRS.gov.

The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by these storms and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, visit disasterassistance.gov.

The IRS is actively monitoring the situation and will provide additional relief if needed.

“I have known Danny Werfel for more than 15 years. He is an immensely talented and dedicated public servant who has ably served presidents of both parties. Danny has a strong record of raising his hand for -- and excelling at -- tough management assignments.  He is also a familiar face on Capitol Hill, where he has testified many times and always demonstrates both his characteristic humility and his complete mastery of the subject matter.  I am grateful to him for accepting this new challenge, and I am confident that his self-evident integrity and outstanding management skills will make an immediate difference in helping to restore public confidence in the IRS.”

May 15 is the filing deadline for exempt organizations whose tax year ends on December 31, unless the organization submitted Form 8868, Application for Extension of Time To File an Exempt Organization Return. Remember an organization that fails to file for three consecutive years automatically loses its federal tax-exempt status.

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On Monday, the IRS will issue furlough notices to all agency employees, identifying five furlough days with the possibility of two more. On those five days, the IRS will completely close all but the most essential operations. This unprecedented action is a direct result of the failure of Congress to avoid sequestration.

This is unwelcome news for every employee and is an event NTEU has worked hard to avoid. At the national level, the union is in ongoing discussions with the IRS exploring all possible options to ease the impact of these unpaid furlough days on employees. While NTEU sought flexibility for employees in scheduling the furlough days, the IRS maintains that it has the right to set the days without regard for employees preferences for days off. The planned furlough days are May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and August 30. Our talks with the IRS will continue.

The furlough notice you will receive on Monday identifies a 30-day window before furloughs begin. During that time, NTEU will continue with our strong and vocal presence on Capitol Hill demonstrating to lawmakers the devastating impact on federal employees and the American public of the ongoing sequester. It is NTEU’s intention to bring the full impact of this unprecedented closing to the attention of Congress. 

NTEU will also keep IRS employees informed of any new developments regarding sequestration and furloughs. To be sure that you receive all NTEU communications, please provide us with your home e-mail address. You may do this now, on your government computer, in accordance with the agency’s policy on limited personal use of the Internet.   

There is additional information about sequestration and furloughs available on NTEU’s web site. Learn more. 

FSLG will conduct a phone forum on April 30^th at 2:00PM (EST) to discuss key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. These provisions impact federal, state, and local government employers. To learn more and register, click the following link.

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today announced a three-month tax filing and payment extension to Boston area taxpayers and others affected by Monday’s explosions.

This relief applies to all individual taxpayers who live in Suffolk County, Mass., including the city of Boston. It also includes victims, their families, first responders, others impacted by this tragedy who live outside Suffolk County and taxpayers whose tax preparers were adversely affected.

“Our hearts go out to the people affected by this tragic event,” said IRS Acting Commissioner Steven T. Miller. “We want victims and others affected by this terrible tragedy to have the time they need to finish their individual tax returns.”

Under the relief announced today, the IRS will issue a notice giving eligible taxpayers until July 15, 2013, to file their 2012 returns and pay any taxes normally due April 15. No filing and payment penalties will be due as long as returns are filed and payments are made by July 15, 2013. By law, interest, currently at the annual rate of 3 percent compounded daily, will still apply to any payments made after the April deadline.

The IRS will automatically provide this extension to anyone living in Suffolk County. If you live in Suffolk County, no further action is necessary by taxpayers to obtain this relief. However, eligible taxpayers living outside Suffolk County can claim this relief by calling 1-866-562-5227 starting Tuesday, April 23, and identifying themselves to the IRS before filing a return or making a payment. Eligible taxpayers who receive penalty notices from the IRS can also call this number to have these penalties abated.

Eligible taxpayers who need more time to file their returns may receive an additional extension to Oct. 15, 2013, by filing Form 4868 by July 15, 2013.

Taxpayers with questions unrelated to the Boston tragedy should visit IRS.gov, or contact the regular IRS toll-free number at 1-800-829-1040.