After a disaster, affected taxpayers may qualify for tax relief

IRS Tax Tip 2023-67, May 15, 2023

Tax relief is available for people living in areas that are declared disasters by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. To find out whether an area qualifies for federal disaster relief, taxpayers should check DisasterAssistance.gov.

Find disaster assistance information from the IRS

Up-to-date information is available from these IRS resources:

Affected taxpayers have more time to file and pay

If taxpayers live at an address in an area that qualifies for IRS disaster tax relief, they automatically get extra time from the IRS to file returns and pay taxes.

Casualty loss tax deduction

If people have damaged or lost property due to a federally declared disaster, they may qualify to claim a casualty loss deduction and get a larger refund. They can claim this on their current or prior-year tax return.

Rebuild lost records with a tax return transcript

If people have lost their tax records, they can request a tax return transcript and a copy of their tax return from the IRS.

To speed up the process, taxpayers who file Forms 4506-T or 4506 should:

  • Write on the form that the request is disaster related.
  • Write the type of disaster and the state where it occurred.

People who relocate need to submit a change of address

After a disaster, people might need to temporarily relocate. People who move should notify the IRS of their new address by submitting Form 8822, Change of Address.

Small Business Administration loans and grants

The Small Business Administration offers disaster assistance to business owners, homeowners and renters in a federally declared disaster area. To qualify for an SBA loan or grant, taxpayers must have filed all required tax returns.

More information:

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