Governor Pritzker Announces Relief Available to July Storm Victims in Illinois Multiple Tax Deadlines Postponed to Feb. 3, 2025

CHICAGO - Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Revenue announced disaster tax relief for individuals and businesses in parts of Illinois affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that began on July 13, 2024.

"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."

Affected taxpayers now have until Feb. 3, 2025, to file various state individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.

Relief is being offered to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Currently, this includes 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.

The tax relief postpones various income tax filings and payment deadlines that occurred beginning on July 13, 2024, and ending on Feb. 3, 2025 (postponement period). As a result, affected individuals and businesses will have until Feb. 3, 2025, to file returns and pay any income taxes that were originally due during this period.

This means, for example, that the Feb. 3, 2025, deadline will now apply to:

• Quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on Sept. 16, 2024, and Jan. 15, 2025.
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns 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 are 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.

If impacted taxpayers have already been billed for penalties, they 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.