MEMPHIS, Tenn. – All Tennessee and Arkansas residents now have until November to file their taxes, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Good, because I need it!” laughed Chante Richmond, an east Memphis resident. “Yes!”
That deadline comes as the result of storms earlier this month that swept through the state with tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding.
In McNairy County alone, those storms, which spun more than 20 tornadoes in the Mid-South, caused over $30 million in damage.
“A lot of people have bigger things to do than handle their taxes at the moment, and that’s understandable,” said Luis Garcia, an IRS spokesman.
RELATED: Mid-South sees hundreds of warnings during severe weather threat, NWS says
Garcia told FOX13 no forms are required for the extension. All Tennessee and Arkansas residents and business owners have until November 3rd to file their returns and pay their taxes.
“We know if you are a resident of Tennessee,” Garcia explained. “So we will afford you that that extension without you having to file any forms or call us or put it down on your tax return… you just get it automatically by virtue of having been declared a disaster area.”
This means, for example, that the Nov. 3, 2025, deadline will now apply to:
- Individual income tax returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025.
- 2024 contributions to IRAs and health savings accounts for eligible taxpayers.
- Quarterly estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, June 16 and Sept. 15, 2025.
- Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due on April 30, July 31 and Oct. 31, 2025.
- Calendar-year corporation and fiduciary returns and payments normally due on April 15, 2025.
- Calendar-year tax-exempt organization returns normally due on May 15, 2025.
A traditional extension (during a normal year) does not give taxpayers any additional time to pay.
However, this special extension gives taxpayers until November 3rd to file and pay.
So when should you file?
“If you’re expecting a refund, no sense in waiting,” explained Tyler DeWitt, a tax attorney. “But if you are expecting to owe, it probably makes the most sense, if you don’t have the money right now, to wait until November 3rd.”
Garcia confirmed taxpayers and business owners who already filed extensions also have until November to pay.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Any penalties, any interest that’s going to accrue is going to be abated for you.”
RELATED: McNairy County suffers over $30M in tornado damage, report says
