Don't Mess With Taxes

The first group of taxpayers in 14 states and two U.S. island territories hit by declared major disasters must get their forms to the IRS by Feb. 3. Residents in the other 10 states have until May 1.

Photo by Analogue Kid at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Much of the United States is facing the first weather catastrophe of the new year. A brutal winter storm is forecast to sweep through a 1,300-mile swath of the country, leaving an estimated 62 million people to deal with heavy snow, ice, rain, and severe thunderstorms.

This early 2025 burst of anger from Mother Nature has some (OK, me, where we’re finally getting our first freeze of the season in Central Texas) wondering and worrying if this year will be as full of treacherous weather as last.

Weather and tax delays: When severe weather leads to major disaster declarations, taxes also are affected. That was the case last year, when some of 2024’s relentless catastrophes pushed tax responsibilities well beyond their usual due dates.

Now, however, the Internal Revenue Service tax relief, which included more time to file tax year 2023 returns that already were on extension, is nearing an end.

Affected disaster-area taxpayers are in 24 states and two U.S. territories. Depending on when their locations were hit by their respective major storms, they have until Feb. 3 or May 1 to finish those filings.

The links in the sections below about the upcoming deadlines go to the official IRS announcements of tax relief. 

Feb. 3 deadline details: The Feb. 3 deadline applies to taxpayers in 16 jurisdictions.

It covers the entire states of Louisiana and Vermont, as well as all of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The early February deadline for filing extended 2023 returns also applies to filers in parts of Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington state.

May 1 deadline details: The May 1 deadline applies to taxpayers in the entire states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, as well as parts of Alaska, New Mexico, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The IRS notes that in addition to submitting their extended 2023 tax year returns by May 1, these taxpayers also have until that day, instead of April 15, to file their 2024 returns and pay any tax due.

Again, eligible taxpayers are individuals and businesses affected by various disasters that occurred during the late spring through the end of 2024.

For filers who got extensions last tax season to file their annual returns, the IRS reminds them that payments on the 2023 tax year returns are not eligible for the additional time because they were originally due last spring before any of these disasters occurred.

Special relief for terrorist attacks in Israel: While sever weather is the most common reason for the IRS to grant U.S. taxpayers filing and payment relief, it also takes note of other extraordinary situations.

That is why taxpayers who live or have a business in Israel, Gaza, or the West Bank, and certain other taxpayers affected by the terrorist attacks in the State of Israel, have until Sept. 30, 2025, to file and pay. This extended deadline includes all 2023 and 2024 tax returns.

And these three extended tax deadlines are this weekend’s first By the Numbers figures for 2025.

You also might find these items of interest:

• Biden signs disaster relief bill that took more than a year to clear Congress
• IRS and other government resources can help you deal with a natural disaster
• Don’t Mess With Taxes’ Storm Warnings collection of disaster tax relief pages, from preparations to recovery to helping those in disaster areas

Advertisements

🌟 Search Amazon Business and Money Books 🌟
The text link above is an affiliate ad. If you click through and then buy a product, I receive a commission.