Ryan urges state to extend tax-filing deadline for Western New York

Senator calls for Department of Taxation and Finance to extend state filing deadline to Match new federal deadline set by IRS

New York State Sen. Sean Ryan has 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.

Ryan’s team said, “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. Sen. 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.”

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.”