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

Ben Kosic leads Capco's Insurance Practice and Data Practice and is a subject matter expert in the areas of Insurance, Financial Crime, and Data & Analytics. He has experience working with Canada's largest insurance companies in developing and implementing a national consortium strategy to fight insurance fraud. Ben is adept at operating in complex multi-stakeholder environments, delivering 100+ successful consulting projects to 50+ clients. With 20+ years of data analytics experience, client acquisition, sales responsibilities, and client project delivery, he has a proven track record of driving sustainable and profitable growth.

Ozan Unlu is the CEO and Founder of Edge Delta, an edge observability platform. Previously he served as a Senior Solutions Architect at Sumo Logic; a Software Development Lead and Program Manager at Microsoft; and a Data Engineer at Boeing. Ozan holds a BS in nanotechnology from the University of Washington. 

Chris Cooksey is the senior director of advanced analytics at Guidewire Software, the leading provider of P&C Insurance core operating systems. He previously served as Chief Actuary at EagleEye Analytics and spent more than a dozen years at Nationwide Insurance as a research director and pricing analyst.

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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