For LA County residents, Tax Day was delayed until Oct. 15. Are you ready? – San Bernardino Sun

The extension for Los Angeles County residents to file their income tax returns is about to run out.

Back in January, the Internal Revenue Service said as a result of the fires in the county, the agency was giving all residents living in LA County an automatic extension on filing their 2024 income tax returns.

They must be filed by Oct. 15.

The state Franchise Tax Board followed suit, saying the deadline for state income tax returns would also be put off until Oct. 15.

Residents in L.A. County were given the extra six months to file their tax returns because of a disaster declaration issued during the January wildfires that swept Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

Also, LA County residents who owe money for federal or state taxes must pay that by Oct. 15. This is an automatic extension and does not require filing an extension.

The Internal Revenue Service and California Franchise Tax Board each provided guidance on tax relief for individuals and businesses in Los Angeles County affected by the wildfires and windstorms.

“Generally, when you’re talking about postponement of deadlines for disasters, the extension applies to anybody with an address of record in the county,” Raphael Tulino, an IRS spokesman said in April. “The Oct. 15 deadline is no different from the April 15 deadline.”

The IRS is permitted to postpone tax-filing and tax payment deadlines because Los Angeles County was declared a disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the government agency that helps communities recover from disasters such as the L.A. wildfires.

This extension should be particularly helpful to those who were affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires who’ve had to deal with insurance paperwork and finding a place to live.

“Recovery from a disaster takes time and survivors are juggling countless responsibilities. This extension is meant to ease some of that burden,” said Fifth District LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes Altadena.

The latest data available from Los Angeles County shows that nearly 4.7 million returns were filed with the IRS in 2022. The data reflects the number of people who might live in a household filing one return — like a married couple and their children — and not the actual number of residents, Tulino explained.

SCNG staff writer Pat Maio contributed to this article.