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.
Liz Kolar, MBA, CPA, CGMA, is executive vice president for Surgent Accounting & Financial Education. She brings over 35 years of accounting industry and professional education experience to her role at Surgent where she drives and oversees the ongoing expansion of accounting and financial services exam prep and continuing education offerings. Prior to Surgent, Kolar founded and led Pinnacle CPA Review, which was later acquired by Surgent. She began her career in public accounting with Coopers & Lybrand, where she audited financial services clients. She has served as a professor, teaching graduate and undergraduate accounting courses. She earned her MBA in public accounting from Pace University. She is a member of the PICPA and the AICPA.
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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.
