IRS postpones deadline for gift and GST taxes due to coronavirus

The Internal Revenue Service is postponing the date for filing gift tax and generation-skipping transfer tax returns and making payments until July 15 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Internal Revenue Service is postponing the date for filing gift tax and generation-skipping transfer tax returns and making payments until July 15, 2020, because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The IRS issued Notice 2020-20 on Friday, extending the relief it provided earlier this month on the tax-filing and payment dates for most other types of tax returns. The IRS also said the associated interest, additions to tax, and penalties for late filing or late payment will be suspended for the gift tax and generation-skipping transfer tax until July 15.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT: ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
Samuel Tae of Ryan

Samuel Tae is a principal at Ryan in the international tax group, specializing in global tax planning and structuring. He advises on both inbound and outbound tax matters and has extensive experience helping clients expand and optimize their global tax structures.

Singer-Robert-Lindenwood University

Dr. Robert Singer is senior professor of accounting and program coordinator in the Department of Accounting at the Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Entrepreneurship of Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Josh Millet of Criteria

Josh Millet, CEO and co-founder of Criteria Corp., is a nationally recognized career and hiring expert with over 20 years of experience. He founded Criteria, a SaaS-based pre-employment and employee testing service that reduces turnover and improves hiring outcomes for employers and job candidates, and currently serves as its CEO. He has co-authored testing-related articles published in the Journal of Educational Computing and the American Psychological Society Observer. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar and a Mellon Fellow.

The relief is automatic and applies to any amounts due related to these types of returns. There’s no requirement to file for an extension and the three-month period between the original due date of April 15 and the new deadline of July 15 will be disregarded in terms of any interest, penalties or extra taxes for those who fail to file a Form 709 United States Gift and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Return by April 15.

Groups of tax and accounting professionals such as the American Institute of CPAs, the National Society of Accountants and the National Conference of CPA Practitioners have been pressing the IRS to provide additional forms of tax relief beyond the initial relief granted for tax payments from coronavirus victims.

IRS-Building-light
The IRS headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
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