Tax filing deadline extended into 2018 for hurricane victims

Floridians who obtained extensions for filing their 2016 income tax returns are in line for another reprieve thanks to an IRS ruling designed to aid victims of Hurricane Irma.

Normally, federal taxpayers are expected to file their returns by April 15. Those who obtained extensions were expected to file by Monday.

But after storms struck Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the IRS, citing hardships suffered by residents of those areas, gave storm victims until Jan. 31, 2018 to file their 2016 returns.

In Florida, the eligible taxpayers reside in all of the state’s 67 counties. The IRS ruling also applies to the entire state of Georgia, all municipalities in Puerto Rico and the three main U.S. Virgin Islands. Taxpayers whose ZIP codes identify them as living in one of those disaster areas are automatically eligible for the additional time to file their returns.

For taxpayers on extension who live outside the hurricane disaster zones, their returns are still due by Monday.

If an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that bears an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date that falls within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the telephone number on the notice and ask the IRS abate the penalty.

Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227. They include workers who are assisting in relief activities and who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization.

For information, taxpayers can visit: irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-victims -of-hurricanes-irma-and-maria or call 800-829-1040; TTY: 800-829-4059. Businesses can call 800-829-4933.