Governor JB Pritzker, together with the Illinois Department of Revenue, has announced disaster tax relief measures for residents and businesses affected by severe storms beginning July 13th. Affected parties in designated areas now have until February 3, 2025, to file various state tax returns and make tax payments without penalties. This relief aims to help communities focus on recovery without the added stress of immediate tax deadlines.
“As communities across Illinois recover from July’s severe storms, my administration remains committed to supporting them every step of the way,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Residents who live or have businesses in the affected areas won’t need to worry about incurring penalties and interest on their tax deadlines until February. This additional time will allow them to gather essential paperwork and focus on recovering without added financial stress.”
Currently, tax relief applies to Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Washington, Will, and Winnebago counties. Individuals and households that reside or have a business in any one of these localities qualify for income tax relief. The same relief will be available to any county added later to the disaster area.
This means, for example, that the Feb. 3, 2025, deadline will now apply to:
• Quarterly estimated income tax payments are normally due on Sept. 16, 2024, and Jan. 15, 2025.
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns are normally due on July 31, Oct. 31, 2024, and Jan. 31, 2025.
Please note: Any individual, business, or tax-exempt organization that had a valid extension to file their 2023 federal return is NOT eligible for the extra time because they were due last spring before the storms occurred.
Sales and excise taxes and the Motor Fuel Use Tax (IFTA) are NOT included. For storm relief questions related to IFTA, please email [email protected].
Penalties for failing to make payroll tax deposits due on or after July 13, 2024, and before July 29, 2024, will be abated, as long as the deposits were made by July 29, 2024.
If filing a return via postal mail, impacted taxpayers should write “July 2024-Storms” on the top of their returns in red. If filing electronically, taxpayers must notify the department that their return will be delayed by emailing [email protected]. They should provide their full name, account number (if using a social security number, only include the last four digits), mailing address, and an estimate of when they believe they can file or pay their taxes.
Taxpayers who have already been billed for penalties should email [email protected]. and provide their name, business name, account number(s), and the periods for which they filed late due to the storms in order to request penalty abatement. Taxpayers should be sure to include “July 2024 Storms” in any communications with the department requesting relief.