The IRS is delaying its deadlines on tax returns for Americans who were impacted by Hurricane Beryl this month.
The hurricane swept across 67 Texas counties in early July, flooding roads, wrecking homes and causing 2 million to lose power. The hurricane left at least six people dead.
If you are a taxpayer in one of those counties, you will have some extra time to file federal individual and business tax returns or make tax payments, the IRS announced this week.
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The new deadline is set for February 3, 2025.
“One of the most important IRS concessions usually made after natural disasters that those affected by Hurricane Beryl should take note of is the ability to claim uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses on their returns,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
“More importantly, you can choose to claim it for either the current tax year or the prior tax year, 2023. This is pivotal, as even those with car and homeowner insurance normally encountered disaster-related damages insurance won’t pick up the tab for.”
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The full list of counties that qualify for the updated tax deadline include: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Austin, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson Calhoun, Cameron, Camp, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Colorado, Dewitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Freestone, Galveston, Goliad, Gregg, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hidalgo, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, Milam, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Panola, Polk, Refugio, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wharton and Willacy counties.
“The same relief will be available to any other counties added later to the disaster area,” the IRS said in an announcement.
If your address on file with the IRS is in any of the counties, you will automatically get the tax relief and updated deadline without contacting the agency directly.
If you moved to an affected area after filing your last return, you should call the IRS on any late filing or payment penalty notice you receive.
The new deadline applies to individuals, businesses, or tax-exempt organizations, and penalties for not making payroll or excise tax deposits due on or after July 5, 2024, and before July 22, 2024, are removed if you made them by July 22.
Beene said the decision to delay deadlines can reduce errors in tax returns.
“Deadlines for tax filings due through affected individuals and businesses in the current tax year have also been pushed back to February 2025,” Beene said. “While this is obviously a move to make life easier for those affected by Hurricane Beryl, it can also be a positive for the IRS. If they maintained the current deadlines, it could result in rushed filings that have errors that would have been corrected.”
A recent report found Hurricane Beryl was responsible for at least $3.3 billion in damage in the United States.
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