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.
Chris Andrew is a counter fraud subject matter expert at Mind Foundry. He brings over 20 years of financial services experience delivering AI and analytics-based solutions in fraud, financial crime and automation across the insurance and banking industries. Chris works with insurance clients to deliver state-of-the-art AI solutions that help tackle high-stakes problems, focusing on human outcomes and the long-term impact of AI interventions.
Virág Blazsek is a lecturer in commercial, corporate and banking law, University of Leeds School of Law, Leeds, United Kingdom.
Ari Brojde is the co-founder and CEO of Estateably, an estate, trust, and incapacity accounting & administration software used by over 1,000 firms across North America. He is an estate planning expert with a Certificate in Trust and Estate Administration and is an executor advisor designate of the Canadian Institute of Certified Executor Advisors.
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.
