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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Ascend's Nishaad Ruparel

Nishaad Ruparel is the president of Ascend, a Top 50 Firm formed in 2023 with capital from Alpine Investors, a private equity firm based in San Francisco. Prior to joining Ascend, he was recruited by Alpine Investors to help launch a new investment strategy; prior to joining Alpine, he spent time at AEA, an upper middle market PE firm based in New York, and at JP Morgan, where he serviced private equity clients out of the firm's investment banking division. He holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BS in Finance from New York University's Stern School of Business.

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Reyes Florez of Platform Accounting Group

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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.

IRS-Building-light
The IRS headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
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