The president on July 24 signed into law a bipartisan, bicameral bill offered by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) that would permit the Internal Revenue Service to postpone filing deadlines for taxpayers affected by state-declared natural disasters in addition to presidentially declared federal disasters.
“The last thing Tennesseans should have to worry about when a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene strikes is meeting a tax-filing deadline,” Sen. Blackburn. “Now that President Trump has signed our bipartisan [bill] into law, Americans impacted by natural disasters will have the flexibility to focus on recovery, not tax paperwork.”
The newly enacted Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act, H.R. 517/S. 132, will ensure that Americans impacted by fires, floods, and storms get the tax relief they need, according to Sen. Blackburn, who on Jan. 16 sponsored S. 132 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), while U.S. Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN) and Judy Chu (D-CA) introduced the identical H.R. 517 on the same date in the U.S. House.
“When a natural disaster strikes, hard-hit families looking for tax relief shouldn’t have to wait for the federal government to act,” said Sen. Cortez Masto. “This common-sense bill will ensure that taxpayers who have been through state emergencies can get the flexibility from the IRS that they deserve while recovering.”
Under the new law, the mandatory federal filing extension is expanded from 60 days to 120 days, according to the lawmakers.