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

Brian Reilly is an employee benefits consultant at Corporate Synergies. Board Secretary for the Westchester Human Resource Management Association (WHRMA), Brian specializes in helping employers find solutions for complex healthcare concerns.

Yuval Teller-Hason Ledge

Yuval Teller-Hason is Director of Business Operations at Ledge, a finance operations platform that automates high-volume reconciliation with AI. Prior to joining Ledge in 2023, he worked for nine years in the Israel Ministry of Finance where he built economic strategy for the banking, capital management, and insurance sectors, led legislation efforts for open banking, and designed initiatives to develop the local payment market, including the creation of a new regulatory framework for payment service providers.

Matt Wood of Personiv

Matt Wood is the global head of finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO) at Personiv, responsible for delivering finance and accounting solutions to clients worldwide. He joined Personiv in 2016, bringing a wealth of experience from organizations including HireBetter, Dell and Princeton Recruiting Group, with a focus in recruiting and operations.

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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