IRS to offer tax relief to Florida residents affected by severe storms and flooding in August

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that individuals and businesses in Florida impacted by the severe storms and flooding that began on August 1, will receive tax relief. This relief extends the deadline for filing various federal tax returns and making tax payments until February 3, 2025.

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This decision follows a disaster declaration issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which includes several Florida counties as eligible for tax relief.

The affected counties are: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Walton, Wakulla, and Washington.

The IRS will automatically identify taxpayers located in the disaster area and apply the relief measures. Taxpayers outside the covered area, but whose records are in the disaster zone, can request relief by contacting the IRS disaster hotline.

Taxpayers now have until February 3, 2025, to file federal returns and pay taxes that would have been due between August 1, 2024, and February 3, 2025. This extension applies to various deadlines, including those for individuals and businesses with existing extensions for their 2023 tax returns, estimated tax payments, and payroll and excise tax returns.

In addition to the filing extensions, the IRS is waiving penalties for late payroll and excise tax deposits due in early August, provided the deposits are made by August 16, 2024. Affected taxpayers may also be eligible for additional relief measures, including claiming disaster-related casualty losses on their federal income tax returns and requesting free copies of previously filed tax returns.

Further information and guidance are available on the IRS website.

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