Governor JB Pritzker has announced tax filing and payment relief for individuals and businesses not able to meet regularly scheduled filing or payment deadlines due to the March tornadoes and severe storms.
The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) will offer tax relief to affected income, withholding, and sales and use tax filers who live or have businesses in the impacted counties, or to those who have tax records located in those declared disaster areas.
Marion and four other counties were earlier declared disaster areas by the Governor.
The Governor says as families around the state recover from the damage caused by recent tornadoes and severe storms, the State of Illinois will support them through this hardship. Pritzker says that’s why they are providing tax filing and payment relief for individuals and businesses in disaster areas.
The tax relief will be for returns and payments due on or after March 31, 2023, and on or before May 31, 2023. Affected taxpayers have six months from the due date to file returns and pay any taxes that were due during this period. Penalties and interest will begin to accrue on remaining unpaid balances after the six-month period.
Any interest and penalty charged will be waived for taxes due on or after March 31, 2023, and on or before May 31, 2023, if paid during the six-month tax relief period. Penalties and interest will begin to accrue on any remaining unpaid balances after the six-month period.
Paper filers seeking disaster relief should write “Tornado-March 2023’ in red on the outside of their envelopes and on the top of each of the pages of their tax returns or payments and include a brief written explanation of why they cannot file or pay on time.
Electronic filers should notify IDOR by email at REV.DisasterRelief@illinois.gov, and provide their full name, account number (if using a Social Security number, include only the last four digits), mailing address, and a brief explanation of why the return or payment will be late.
All filers should indicate which location was affected by the severe storms and provide any additional documentation to support their requests.
Even though the deadline has been extended, those taxpayers expecting refunds are encouraged to file their returns as quickly as possible and file electronically and request an electronic deposit as the fastest, most efficient, and secure way to file.
Motor Fuel Use Tax is not included as part of this relief plan. For storm relief questions related to Motor Fuel Use Tax, email REV.IFTA@illinois.gov. For all other taxes not specifically listed, taxpayers may contact IDOR at REV.DisasterRelief@illinois.gov.
For additional information regarding federal tax relief taxpayers may visit the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) web page, Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses. To obtain additional information about Illinois tax relief, taxpayers may visit IDOR’s website at tax.illinois.gov.
