Tax in the Time of Coronavirus

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a 90-day extension of federal income tax payments for 2019, due to the global coronavirus pandemic (story at CNN). Despite the extension of time to pay federal taxes owed, Mnuchin recommended that taxpayers still attempt to complete and file their 2019 returns by the normal April 15 deadline. [UPDATE 3/20: The deadline to file has now been extended to July 15 as well, per an updated announcement by Secretary Mnuchin.] (The extension also does not apply to states, which must set their own deadline extensions for tax filing; California has already changed its payment and filing deadline to June 15.)

Taxpayers whose income was at or below $69,000 in 2019 may qualify for the IRS Free File service, which offers online tax preparation assistance and free e-filing for federal taxes. The Free File Online Lookup Tool helps taxpayers identify available free online filing offers that are appropriate for their tax situation.

If you do not qualify for Free File, the IRS also outlines additional e-File Options, including free fillable online forms for federal taxes. Should your taxes prove too complicated to go it alone, the IRS also has tips for Choosing a Tax Professional.

For more resources on federal tax law, including access to research databases like Thomson Reuters Checkpoint, visit the Goodson Law Library's research guide to Federal Tax or Ask a Librarian.