All Florida & Georgia Counties Eligible for Irma Tax Relief

In the wake of Hurricane Irma, the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) has made all counties in Florida and Georgia eligible for Individual Assistance aid—providing storm victims with an IRS-granted extension until Jan. 31, 2018, to file certain individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. This extension dovetails with the one the IRS granted for areas of Texas struck by Hurricane Harvey in August.

The declaration postpones tax filing and payment deadlines that started on Sept. 4 of this year and continue through mid-January. This date range encompasses a long list of deadlines, but here are some of the key dates affected:

• Sept. 15, 2017 (deadline for quarterly estimated tax payments; business extensions for 2016 tax returns of calendar-year partnerships and corporations)
• Sept. 30, 2017 (deadline for calendar-year trusts)
• Oct. 16, 2017 (extension for 2016 individual income tax returns – does not cover tax payments)
• Oct. 31, 2017 (deadline for quarterly payroll and excise tax returns)
• Nov. 15, 2017 (business extensions for 2016 tax returns for calendar-year tax-exempt organizations)
• Jan. 16, 2018 (deadline for quarterly estimated tax payments)

More good news—there is no paperwork to file for this extension. It is an automatic extension for  all Florida and Georgia residents and business owners.  

FEMA offers two forms of assistance to help communities recover from natural disasters. Public Assistance funds the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of a public facility or infrastructure. This includes buildings, utilities, schools, parks and other facilities or organizations owned or run by the government (local, state or federal).

Individual Assistance covers individuals and families for personal and business losses. In addition to the tax filing and payment extension, grant aid may be available to help pay for temporary housing, emergency repairs, property losses, medical or funeral expenses, and other storm-related costs. The initial declaration provided this assistance to the majority of counties in the central and south peninsula of Florida; as of Sept. 18, eligibility was extended to the entire state.

Visit the IRS’s page for more information about help for victims of Hurricane Irma.

Irma made landfall on Sept. 10 in the Florida Keys and traveled north through the state and into Georgia, cutting a path of devastation and leaving millions without power and other necessities. If you are one of the millions of people affected by Irma, contact us at (888) 387-6851 to see whether and how you can take advantage of these extensions.

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