Tax Relief for Businesses and Families Impacted by Flooding

Governor Pat Quinn today announced that Illinois businesses and individuals who file monthly, quarterly or annual returns and have been impacted by the flooding will have until Oct. 31 to file tax returns that were due on or after April 19. The extended deadline will provide much-needed relief for individuals and local businesses trying to file their returns or payments on time while recovering from the flood.

“Families and businesses across Illinois need time to focus on rebuilding their businesses, homes and lives,” Governor Quinn said. “Once families have recovered, they can pull together the necessary paperwork to file and pay their taxes.”

Taxpayers who opt to mail their deferred returns and payments should write Flood – April 2013 on the outside of the envelope in red ink and on the top of each page of the tax filing, so the account can be updated and handled appropriately. Filers using My Tax Illinois or WebFile will be provided instructions when they file their returns so that no late fees or penalties will be billed to their accounts.  For questions, the Illinois Department of Revenue has set up a mailbox dedicated to the flood issue: REV.FloodApr2013@illinois.gov.

“While we encourage individuals and businesses to bring their tax filings up to date as soon as their lives return to normal, we hope this deferred payment option is helpful to Illinois families and businesses,” Revenue Director Brian Hamer said. 

The tax relief will help individuals and local businesses, such as hardware stores struggling to meet customer needs while cleaning up after the flood; they will be able to focus on their customers and will have extra time to file and pay the sales taxes they collect. Individuals and businesses who normally file quarterly returns won’t have the pressure to file those returns or payments while trying to recover from the flood. Distributors driving through flooded streets to get motor fuel to gas stations will have extra time to pay the taxes they owe.

Since Thursday, Governor Quinn has surveyed damage on the ground and from the air and met with local officials in some of the hardest hit communities, including Elmhurst, Des Plaines, River Forest, Bellwood, Riverside, Moline, Quincy, Bartonville, North Aurora, Marseilles, Ottawa, North Utica, Morris and Meredosia.

Personnel from FEMA, IEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration and local emergency management agencies will begin assessing damage to homes and businesses in Cook, DuPage and Lake Counties on April 29. The teams will move to other affected counties as floodwaters recede so they are able to accurately assess the damage. Governor Quinn has declared a total of 44 counties state disaster areas.