The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today issued Notice 2020-18, which officially postpones this year's tax-filing deadline to July 15, 2020 and provides compliance guidance. Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin announced the delay earlier today.

Today's guidance supersedes Notice 2020-17, which delayed the deadline for certain tax payments to July 15, 2020 but did not move the filing deadline. The deadline for payments and filing is now July 15, 2020.

The IRS explains that the deadline relief in Notice 2020-18 is available "solely with respect to Federal income tax payments (including payments of tax on self-employment income) and Federal income tax returns due on April 15, 2020, in respect of an Affected Taxpayer's 2019 taxable year, and Federal estimated income tax payments (including payments of tax on self-employment income) due on April 15, 2020, for an Affected Taxpayer's 2020 taxable year."

The payment or deposit of any other type of tax, or for the filing of any information return is not affected by the guidance. "The period beginning on April 15, 2020, and ending on July 15, 2020, will be disregarded in the calculation of any interest, penalty, or addition to tax for failure to file the Federal income tax returns or to pay the Federal income taxes postponed by this notice," the IRS says.

The text of Notice 2020-18 is posted here. 

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