At least 90 days from 4/15

[Uncle Sam]

What are you going to do with a client who has a driver license expiring right around now until filing deadline and DMV offices are restricting hours to renew or are closed?

[ATSMAN]

What are you going to do with a client who has a driver license expiring right around now until filing deadline and DMV offices are restricting hours to renew or are closed?

Which state? My state has extended renewal dates of all expiring licenses by 60 days. So those licenses are still valid even though it shows an expired date.

[Rapid Robert]

What are you going to do with a client who has a driver license expiring right around now until filing deadline and DMV offices are restricting hours to renew or are closed?

Nothing. Driver's license is not required to file a federal return nor most of the states.

[rbynaker]

Can the IRS waive interest? Isn't interest a matter of law? Did Congress vote to postpone interest for 90 days?

My (limited) understanding is that the IRS cannot change the filing deadline (which is set by statute). Congress has to do that. The IRS can generally waive penalties at it's discretion. It generally cannot waive interest which is set by statute but the exception is that they CAN waive interest in a federally declared disaster area.

Are we having fun yet?

Edit: Updated in Post 22

[LCP]

My (limited) understanding is that the IRS cannot change the filing deadline (which is set by statute). Congress has to do that. The IRS can generally waive penalties at it's discretion. It generally cannot waive interest which is set by statute but the exception is that they CAN waive interest in a federally declared disaster area.

Are we having fun yet?

I am! Nothing on IRS.gov yet but the WSJ and others are reporting that they will waive interest and penalties...at least on 2019 balances due if paid by 7/15/20.

Haven't seen anything on the first two 2020 quarterly estimates. I'd sure be hesitant to encourage people not to make them and get behind for 2020.

Seems like it would make sense to save everyone the time and effort of filing extensions but they seem to still be required.

Also it seems that the authority is based on emergency powers other than the typical disaster area authority.

[Burke]

And if they do not extend the deadline, all deductions related to that such as IRA/SEPP contributions, etc remain April 15. I feel if they ask Congress for that provision, they will do it.

[rbynaker]

My (limited) understanding is that the IRS cannot change the filing deadline (which is set by statute).

An update:

I did a little research on this and the emergency powers are broader than I initially thought. Authority comes from IRC 7508A:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/7508A

And associated regs:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/26/301.7508A-1

The regs in (c)(1)(i) include authority to extend filing deadlines:

"Filing any return of income tax, estate tax, gift tax, generation-skipping transfer tax, excise tax (other than firearms tax (chapter 32, section 4181); harbor maintenance tax (chapter 36, section 4461); and alcohol and tobacco taxes (subtitle E)), or employment tax (including income tax withheld at source and income tax imposed by subtitle C or any law superseded thereby);"

and also, worthy of note (c)(1)(III):

"Making contributions to a qualified retirement plan (within the meaning of section 4974(c)) under section 219(f)(3), 404(a)(6), 404(h)(1)(B), or 404(m)(2); making distributions under section 408(d)(4); recharacterizing contributions under section 408A(d)(6); or making a rollover under section 402(c), 403(a)(4), 403(b)(8), or 408(d)(3);"

So now let's see what actually gets extended . . .