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.
Thomas A. Cox is a founder of and the Volunteer Program Coordinator for the Maine Attorney Saving Homes program
Heather Turner supports SMA's advisory and consulting engagements through rich written content, quantitative and qualitative primary research, market and technology trend analysis, and the management of SMA IP materials. Prior to SMA, Heather was managing editor of the NU Property & Casualty Group at ALM, which includes the insurance industry publications PropertyCasualty360.com and NU P&C and Claims magazines. She started her career as a journalist reporting on the property & casualty insurance industry at Insurance Business America and its sister publications in Canada and the U.K.
Heather is a graduate of Florida State University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Editing, Writing, and Media.
Vijay Mahendrakar is head of Insurance Business Solution, Europe at Mphasis. Vijay helps brokers and insurers to successfully implement digital and data technology, transform their operation enabling business to be truly customer centric, digital first, data driven business and grow profitably. Vijay has 25+ years of experience with global BFSI customers, he brings unique expertise at intersection of Insurance business domain, legacy technology modernization, building cloud native platforms, monetizing data as an asset and transform operation ways of working. Similarly working with Mphasis, a global technology company, he brings rich expertise across business development, large transformation deal solution design and capture, consulting, and successful delivery of complex change programs.
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.



