Employees of the Department of Homeland Security will have until May 15 to file their federal income taxes with the IRS, one month later than the deadline given to most U.S. taxpayers, due to the ongoing DHS shutdown, the Treasury Department announced on April 1.
The 30-day extension includes penalty and interest relief.
In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “The continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has created unnecessary disruptions, placing an unfair burden on DHS personnel and their families. As they continue to show up under extraordinary circumstances without receiving a paycheck, Treasury and the IRS will provide affected DHS employees with a 30-day automatic extension for this tax filing season with penalty and interest relief. We are committed to supporting our hard-working DHS officers and employees so they can stay focused on their mission and keep the American people safe without being penalized for missing a tax filing deadline.”
The DHS shutdown, now 48 days old, has become the longest in history, with tens of thousands of workers going unpaid until it ends. President Donald Trump issued a directive last week to pay Transportation Security Administration workers on an emergency basis.
As Bloomberg noted, the IRS has the power to grant short-term tax filing extensions to taxpayers facing hardships. It delayed the tax deadline for most taxpayers during the 2020 pandemic and routinely extends the due date for residents of areas affected by floods, tornadoes, or hurricanes.
Tribune News Service contributed to this article.
Photo credit: Igor Nikushin/iStock
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