IRS offering Hurricane Michael victims relief in the form of a tax extension

For the 16 Florida counties that FEMA declared a Major Disaster because of Hurricane Michael, the Internal Revenue Service is offering some relief in the form of a tax extension.

Anyone in those counties who originally applied for the extension deadline of Oct. 15 to file individual and business tax returns now has until Feb. 28, 2019, to file their taxes, the IRS announced Monday.

The counties that the IRS extension include are: Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington.

“Hurricane Michael was a devastating storm for people in many different areas,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a news release. “During this difficult time, hurricane victims should be completely focused on their families, their safety and rebuilding their lives.”

In addition to Florida, several counties in Georgia are also included in the extension.

More counties will be added to the list as they receive a Major Disaster Declaration from FEMA, according to the IRS.

The extension deadlines also apply to victims of Hurricane Florence in a number of counties in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

For those who do not live in the counties listed, the IRS said in the news release that “they will work with people located outside these counties currently listed by FEMA.”

Taxpayers qualifying for relief — or workers assisting in relief efforts — who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227.

For information on disaster recovery, visit disasterassistance.gov. More information is available on Hurricane Michael at IRS.gov/hurricanemichael.

This story was originally published October 15, 2018 at 8:31 PM.