Last Thursday, the IRS announced that it was sending a “special mailing” to US taxpayers living in states affected by disasters notifying them that they will have additional time to pay their taxes, The Epoch Times reported.
In a June 28 press release, the IRS said the mailing was being sent to taxpayers in California and seven additional states that were designated disaster areas who had received a CP14 notice in late May and early June.
The earlier letters were sent out as required by law to taxpayers who owe the IRS. In those letters, taxpayers were informed that they had 21 days in which to pay the balance owed. However, in the new mailing, the IRS is notifying them that they have until “later this year” to pay the balance under the disaster declaration.
The deadline changed after “partner feedback” due to the “large reach of these disaster declarations,” the IRS said.
The new mailings, CP14CL, are expected to be sent out over the next few weeks.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel conceded in the press release that the initial letters had confused taxpayers and tax preparers and said the agency acted swiftly to send out the follow-up mailing to “reassure people.”
Warfel said the second mailing is proof that the IRS is using the additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to become “more taxpayer-focused.”
While the vast majority of mailings will be sent to taxpayers in California, smaller groups of taxpayers in disaster areas in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee will also be receiving the follow-up mailing.
Additionally, the IRS said it had updated the accompanying insert making it clear that the payment date listed on the first mailing does not apply to those taxpayers covered by a disaster declaration.
The insert will include a QR code that will link to the IRS’s Disaster page.
