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.
Eric Holtzclaw is chief strategist of PossibleNOW.
Gavin John is founder and CEO of StoneShot, an email marketing and event management platform and provider.
Amy Hollis is known as one of the top industry experts in the design, implementation, marketing, communications and enrollment of voluntary benefit programs, predominantly within the large employer market. She has more than 20 years of benefits experience, and while her most recent focus has been in voluntary benefits, she also has broad based experience ranging from core benefits, employer-paid plans, exchange strategy and comprehensive benefit delivery & administration.
During her career, Amy created then led highly successful voluntary benefit practices for preeminent benefit consulting firms, including Willis Towers Watson, Conduent (formally Buck Consulting / Xerox) and Marsh and McClennan. She has developed nationally recognized teams at each of these organizations that continue to drive the industry. Over the last decade, she has been engaged either directly or through her team as the lead strategist in the overall design, provider selection and successful implementation of voluntary benefit programs for over one-third of the Fortune 250 companies.
Amy’s primary focus, based on her experience in the core and voluntary benefit spectrum, is to assist employers in optimizing over-arching total reward strategies and cost-saving measures by effectively and creatively linking employer and employee-paid benefit strategies. Her expertise includes thought leadership in strategy, plan design, development and evaluation of the full spectrum of voluntary plans, as well as supporting cost management strategies through the resources inherent to the delivery of voluntary plans.
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.
