Citing Hurricane Maria, IRS Extends Tax Filing Deadline For USVI And PR To June 29

The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday reminded victims of Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico that filing and payment activities have been further postponed beyond Jan. 31, 2018.

The IRS extended tax deadlines for affected individuals and businesses until June 29, 2018, for the following localities:

In the U.S. Virgin Islands (starting Sept. 16, 2017): Islands of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas.

In Puerto Rico (starting Sept. 17, 2017): In any of the 78 municipalities.

The disaster relief page on the IRS website has details on the returns, payments and tax-related actions qualifying for the additional time. Following the IRS extension, affected individuals and businesses will have until June 29, 2018, to file their 2017 tax returns and pay any taxes due on those returns.

This relief also includes individual estimated tax payments, payroll and excise tax returns, corporate income tax returns originally due or on extension during the relief period and tax-exempt organizations required to file Form 990 series returns with an original deadline falling during this period. This relief also applies to taxpayers who had a valid extension to file their 2016 return that was due to run out on Oct. 16, 2017, and which was already postponed until Jan. 31, 2018.

The IRS will abate any interest, late-payment or late-filing penalty that would otherwise apply for 2017 tax returns. The IRS automatically provides this relief to any taxpayer located in the disaster area. Taxpayers need not contact the IRS to get this relief.

Beyond the relief provided to taxpayers in the FEMA-designated localities, the IRS will work with any taxpayer who resides outside the disaster area but whose books, records or tax professionals are in the areas affected by Hurricane Maria. Taxpayers who live outside of the impacted area and think they may qualify for this relief need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227.

The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by the hurricane and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, individuals should visit disasterassistance.gov.

Publication 570, Tax Guide for Individuals with Income from U.S. Possessions, contains an explanation of the presence test for residents of territories such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.