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
rems-mark-kpmg.jpg

Mark Rems is a principal and national leader of the KPMG Indirect Tax Technology practice. Based in Philadelphia, he has roughly 25 years of tax and technology experience helping clients improve their indirect tax function. He has led large global tax engine implementation projects for a variety of ERP systems including SAP, Oracle, and MS Dynamics. He also has extensive experience in programming and application development which includes developing custom integrations and standalone programs to assist clients with their indirect tax calculation and reporting processes. He has deep sales and use tax compliance experience and has helped clients centralize and automate their monthly compliance function. He has direct experience working in a number of niche tax technical areas such as motor fuels, excise taxes, telecom taxes and lease taxes.

ringshia-amit-kpmg.jpg

Amit Ringshia is a principal in KPMG's New York Ignition office. He focuses on the design and delivery of technology solutions and has more than 16 years of experience delivering tax technology driven transformations. He is focused on innovating solutions in areas of tax data management, tax process automation and integration, tax analytics, digital labor and tax department collaboration. He is responsible for assisting in technical aspects of projects including solution design, development, infrastructure, governance models, management and migration. He has architected solutions that integrate multiple tax technologies with company technologies to optimize efficiencies for an effective tax function. He leads teams with experience in software development and tax domain. He supports engagements by leveraging his technology and tax experience with project execution and delivery expertise. He has assisted engagement teams and their clients to enhance the utilization of technology in data collection, processing, analysis and reporting. In addition, he has delivered tax technology solutions that span the breath of tax department functions such as planning, compliance, transfer pricing, audits and provisioning for both direct and indirect tax functions. He is an active member of various tax and technology groups in New York City and is a regular speaker at various tax and technology conferences. He also organizes innovative technology sessions and trainings for tax professionals.

Greg Ryan is a Bloomberg News reporter in Boston covering the economy and politics of Massachusetts.

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.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg