IRS and SEC Offer Relief for Victims of Hurricane Michael in Florida

November 17 02:20 2018
The Florida tax attorneys at Frost & Associates announced this week that those who have been affected by Hurricane Michael in Florida could take advantage of filing deadline extensions offered as relief by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Miami, Fla. – Nov. 16, 2018 – The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are offering some relief to those who are suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in the form of tax extensions. The Florida tax attorneys at Frost & Associates are urging victims of the hurricane to take advantage of filing deadline extensions offered by both these agencies.

The counties that the IRS extension include are the ones that were most affected by the heavy winds and flooding: Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington. The IRS announced that it is likely to add more counties to this list as it receives a Major Disaster Declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The agency has also stated that anyone who lives in these counties and who originally applied for the tax extension deadline of Oct. 15 to file individual and business tax returns now has until Feb. 28, 2019 to file their taxes. The SEC is offering relief with regard to the filing deadlines for periodic reports and other filings due for the period from Oct. 10, 2018 to Nov. 21, 2018. The filings must be made by Nov. 23 and include a detailed explanation of why they could not be filed in a timely manner.

Those taking advantage of the hurricane relief offered by SEC should specifically mention that they have been affected by the storm in this explanation, which should be accompanied by proxy statements, annual reports and other materials sent to shareholders with addresses in zip codes where mail delivery was interrupted because of the hurricane. The SEC is also providing relief from the auditor independence requirements where individuals or businesses need help to reconstruct accounting records that were lost or destroyed due to the storm.

“There is no question that Hurricane Michael was a storm that devastated several counties in Florida, and this is much-needed relief from the IRS and SEC,” said Glen Frost, partner at Frost & Associates, LLC. “It is important that hurricane victims focus on their families, rebuilding and getting their lives back together during these extremely challenging times. We hope these offers of relief will help victims who are still struggling from the effects of this devastating hurricane.”

In addition to the filing extensions, the IRS will waive the usual fees and expedite requests for copies of previously filed tax returns for taxpayers affected by Hurricane Michael. Taxpayers should put the assigned Disaster Designation “Florida, Hurricane Michael” in red ink at the top of Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return, or Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, and submit it to the IRS.

Taxpayers qualifying for relief may contact the IRS at 866-562-5227. For information on disaster recovery, visit disasterassistance.gov or IRS.gov/hurricanemichael.

About Frost & Associates

Frost & Associates LLC represents individuals and businesses that are facing IRS audits, tax collection disputes with the government and other complex tax issues. The firm represents clients nationwide in collection, examination and appeals matters pending before the IRS and state taxing authorities. 

Frost & Associates also represents clients in criminal and civil matters pending before the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Tax Court, and provides a variety of tax-planning services to clients on a wide range of issues including forensic accounting services, reconstructed income, preparing back tax returns, assisting clients with international tax matters and for compliance with the IRS’s Voluntary Disclosure Program as well as FBAR reporting requirements.

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