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.
Bill Curtis, CPA, is partner-in-charge of the Birmingham office of Mauldin & Jenkins CPAs & Advisors and leads the firm’s efforts in Alabama. He joined Mauldin & Jenkins in 2004, after working for AmSouth Bank and Cade and Associates. He has over 15 years of auditing and consulting experience. As a partner in the firm’s Financial Institutions practice, Curtis specializes in opinion audits and tax services for private as well as SEC registered companies, internal control opinion audits, and internal audits, and benefit plan audits. In addition to serving his financial institution clients, Curtis is responsible for auditing numerous 401(k) and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). He serves on the firm’s Leadership and Career Development Committee and LEAP Conference Committee. Curtis is a CPA in the states of Alabama and Georgia. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Alabama Society of CPAs, the Georgia Society of CPAs, Birmingham Young CPAs, Alabama Banking School faculty, and he serves on the board of directors for Community Kitchens of Birmingham.
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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.
