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.

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Michael Nadel is the Global Head of Insurance at Simon-Kucher, where he is focused on helping carriers, Insurtechs, and insurance service providers with monetization, pricing, product, packaging, and sales strategies. Michael has more than a decade of experience in insurance and financial services. His work includes optimizing pricing, value management, and operations for better performance, and leveraging game mechanics, AI and data analytics to future-proof distribution and carrier-agent models. Michael has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, an MSc in Information Systems and a BSc in Finance from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

Giles Pearson

Giles Pearson, FCA, is the co-founder of Accountests Ltd, whose aim is to help avoid bad hires in accounting firms by using pre-employment skills and personality tests specifically designed for accountants.  Prior to starting Accountests, he was a tax and private client partner of PwC in New Zealand for 18 years.

Andrea Riquier is a New York-based journalist who covers housing and finance.

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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