State revenue department provides relief to Pa. residents, businesses affected by COVID-19

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The Department of Revenue will offer Pennsylvania taxpayers increased flexibility, additional time to meet tax obligations, and pause several of its standard enforcement actions to provide relief to state residents and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The temporary relief is expected to remain in effect through at least July 15, 2020.

“While people focus on their health and keeping themselves and their families safe during the pandemic, our goal is to ease the burden for our customers and help everyone move forward,” Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. “We want to help people and businesses make it through this challenging situation.”

Other relief efforts include working to boost customer service for taxpayers impacted by the pandemic, suspending the creation of new desk reviews and field audits in most cases, and broadening audit penalty abatement and interest relief. The department will also continue to administer tax credit and incentive programs.

Gov. Tom Wolf said that taxpayer flexibility and payment assistance is a needed step amid the statewide COVID-19 crisis.

More information about the efforts the Department of Revenue is making to provide relief for Pennsylvania taxpayers can be found on the department’s website.

In addition to the taxpayer relief, the Department of Revenue also announced the extension of the deadline to file state personal income tax returns by 90 days, which aligns with the new federal deadline; extension of the deadline to file informational returns related to PA S corporations, partnerships, and estates and trusts by 90 days; and extension of the due date for corporations with tax returns due between May and Aug. 14, 2020. The department has also temporarily removed the requirement for some businesses to make prepayments of Sales and Use Tax for April, May, and June 2020.