ATLANTA — Georgians will have a little bit more time to file their state income taxes this year, the Department of Revenue (DOR) announced.
On March 19, the DOR said it would be extending the 2020 individual income tax filing and payment deadline from April 15 to May 17 without penalties or interest.
It's in conformance with the U.S. Treasury Department and IRS extension previously announced. Like the IRS, the relief provided by this extension is only for tax year 2020 individual state income tax payments and state individual income tax returns.
“Aligning with this decision makes filing and paying both state and federal taxes as easy as possible for Georgia taxpayers,” stated State Revenue Commissioner David Curry.
The DOR said Georgia’s income tax forms and integrated tax system rely on federal tax information to establish a taxpayer’s state liability.
"This, in practice, means that a taxpayer would need to complete their federal income tax filing before they would have the necessary information to begin their state income tax filing," the DOR said. "Because of this, the state encounters significant challenges if the state deadline falls before the federal filing deadline."
Not included in the extension is the state estimated income tax payments; those are still due on April 15.
Additionally, no extension is provided for the filing, payment, or deposit of any other type of state tax (including employee withholding and sales tax), or for the filing of any state information returns, according to the DOR.
Although the deadline has been extended 32 days, the DOR is encouraging taxpayers to file their returns any time before the May 17 deadline.