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.
Frank Pape is Director of Strategies for Frontier Asset Management. He joined Frontier in 2022 after serving as Senior Director, Consulting Services at Russell Investments, where he advised on portfolio strategies and capital market research to financial advisors and wealth management firms. With more than 25 years of industry experience, Frank is an industry thought leader on asset allocation, capital market insights and tax-managed strategies.
Ross K. Brown is vice president of business development at Payden & Rygel, a global asset management firm. He is also the National Trust Board Advisor to the Visible Foundation, a national special needs trust platform.
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.
