Senator Sean Ryan Urges State To Extend Tax Filing Deadline For Western New York

SENATOR SEAN RYAN URGES STATE TO EXTEND TAX FILING DEADLINE FOR WESTERN NEW YORK

Senator Ryan Calls for Department of Taxation and Finance to Extend State Filing Deadline to Match New Federal Deadline Set by IRS

ALBANY – Today, March 29, 2023, New York State Senator Sean Ryan sent a letter urging the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to push back the deadline for Western New Yorkers to file their state income tax returns to match the new federal filing deadline recently set by the IRS.

Last Friday, the IRS announced that people affected by the severe winter storm that hit Western New York in December will now have until May 15 to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. The new deadline provides individuals and households who reside or have a business in Erie, Genesee, Niagara, St. Lawrence, and Suffolk counties an extra 27 days to file their federal tax returns.

However, because the process of filing federal and state tax returns is typically done in tandem, the new deadline will not actually provide relief to most filers unless they request an extension for their state tax return. Senator Ryan is therefore calling on the State Department of Taxation and Finance to push back the state’s filing deadline to match the federal deadline.

Senator Sean Ryan said, “The extension of the federal filing deadline for New Yorkers affected by the December storm will be ineffective in providing relief without an accompanying extension for state tax returns. Extending the state deadline to match the federal deadline would help provide relief to millions of New Yorkers and eliminate the confusion caused by having two separate deadlines for returns that are usually filed at the same time. Filing taxes is already a burdensome and foreign process for many people – this is an action that the state can take to help make the process a little less confusing.”

A copy of the letter appears below:

March 29, 2023

Ms. Amanda Hiller
Acting Tax Commissioner and General Counsel
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance
W A Harriman Campus
Albany, NY 12227

Dear Ms. Hiller:

I write today to request that the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance extend the filing deadline for New York State tax returns from Tuesday, April 18 to Monday, May 15 to match the amended deadline announced by the Internal Revenue Service for those affected by the severe winter storm in late December 2022.

Following the disaster declaration issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in relation to the December storm, the IRS has provided individuals and households that reside or have a business in Erie, Genesee, Niagara, St. Lawrence, and Suffolk counties an extra 27 days to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. However, without a corresponding amendment to the State’s deadline, I am concerned that the new federal deadline will fail to provide relief, as residents of those counties will still need to prepare their federal returns by the earlier State deadline.

Further, I am concerned that having two separate filing deadlines will create confusion that will cause many New Yorkers from the five affected counties to mistakenly miss the State filing deadline. This would lead to avoidable financial burdens for New York residents already impacted by a destructive storm and could create an unnecessary increased administrative burden for the State.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Sean M. Ryan
New York State Senator
61st District

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