If you live in one of these 7 states, you don’t have to file taxes by April 15: Here’s the new deadline

If you’re in Alabama, Georgia, or a handful of other southeastern states, you might not need to stress about filing your federal taxes by April 15 this year. Thanks to disaster relief measures triggered by Hurricane Helene, the IRS has extended the deadline – but only for people and businesses in specific counties.

Back in October 2024, the IRS announced that taxpayers affected by the storm would get more time to file and pay. So if you live in one of the designated disaster zones, you’ve now got until May 1, 2025.

Which states qualify for the May 1 tax extension?

The automatic extension applies statewide in:

• Alabama
• Georgia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina

In these four states, you don’t need to do anything to qualify – if your address is in-state, you’re covered.

Parts of Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia also qualify, but it’s more complicated. Only 41 counties in Florida, eight in Tennessee, and six counties and one city in Virginia are eligible. These areas were officially declared federal disaster zones by FEMA following the hurricane and its aftermath, which included severe flooding.

If you’re unsure whether your county is included, check the IRS disaster relief site for the current list.

What the May 1 deadline covers

This extension isn’t just for personal tax returns. It covers a wide range of filings and payments:

• 2024 federal returns for individuals and businesses that would normally be due in March or April.
• 2023 returns that were on valid extension, though any tax due from last year was still due in 2024 - you don’t get more time to pay that.
• Estimated tax payments: both the one due on January 15, 2025, and the usual April 15 payment for Q1 of 2025.
• Quarterly payroll and excise taxes due on October 31, January 31, and April 30.
• Some penalties for late deposits related to payroll and excise taxes may also be waived, depending on where you are.

Don’t wait if you don’t have to

Remember that this is not an extension for everyone. If you live outside the affected zones, or your business address is elsewhere, you’re still due on April 15, as usual.

And even if you do qualify for the relief, you don’t get more time to pay taxes that were due before the hurricane.

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