IRS Grants Tax Relief to Tennessee Storm Victims

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington on March 22, 2013. Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Victims of recent storms in Tennessee have been granted tax relief by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and now have until July 31 to file their returns.

In an April 10 news release, the IRS said the extended relief is being granted to individuals living in any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the wake of the severe weather, which began on March 31.

Households and businesses across the counties of Cannon, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Lewis, Macon, McNairy, Rutherford, Tipton, and Wayne will qualify for the relief, according to the IRS.

Other areas added later to the disaster area will also qualify for the same relief, the agency said. Various business tax returns are normally due on March 15.

The tax relief also covers 2022 individual income tax returns and various business returns that were due on April 18.

“Among other things, this means that eligible taxpayers will have until July 31 to make 2022 contributions to their IRAs and health savings accounts,” the IRS said. “The July 31 deadline also applies to the quarterly estimated tax payments, normally due on April 18 and June 15.”

“The July 31 deadline also applies to the quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on April 30, 2023. In addition, penalties on payroll and excise tax deposits due on or after March 31 and before April 18, will be abated as long as the tax deposits are made by April 18, 2023,” the agency added.

IRS Grants Extensions to Storm-Hit States

Some affected taxpayers may need additional time to file their returns beyond the new deadline and can request it electronically before April 18, the IRS noted.

Additionally, taxpayers who do not live in the areas impacted by the storms can file for an extension by filling out a 4868 form (pdf). However, the agency warned that being granted an extension does not there is additional time to pay taxes.

The announcement, part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by storms across the country, comes just days after President Joe Biden approved a major disaster in Tennessee in the wake of tornadoes, making federal funding available to aid recovery efforts across affected areas.

According to the National Weather Service, EF-3 tornadoes, the third most intense tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, touched down in parts of the state.

At least 527 buildings were damaged in the storms and 15 people were killed, including nine people in McNairy County, three in Shelby County, and three in the counties of Roane, Tipton, and Henry, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said in an April 3 update.

The IRS has also pushed back deadlines for taxpayers across several states that have suffered severe stormy weather in recent months, including Alabama, California, Georgia, Mississippi, and New York.

Earlier this month, the agency granted a similar extension to taxpayers who were victims of the storms in Arkansas, which killed at least five people.