Texans in 62 counties affected by July’s severe storms and flooding now have until February 1, 2027, to meet certain federal tax deadlines, giving qualifying households and businesses more time to file returns and make payments.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced the relief Wednesday, after the Internal Revenue Service confirmed the extension October 27. The IRS notice covers certain federal filing and payment deadlines that fell on or after July 14, 2026, and before February 1, 2027.
The action follows Abbott’s October 15 request to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for relief throughout the 62 counties in his state disaster proclamation. A September 1 federal major disaster declaration had covered 23 of those counties, according to the governor’s office.
The broader IRS relief means that qualifying taxpayers in the additional state-designated counties can obtain federal tax deadline protection even though they were outside the 23-county major disaster declaration.
Who Qualifies For The Extension?
The IRS listed 62 counties, including Bexar, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Hays, Kerr, Travis, Williamson, and Waller. Residents and businesses in the designated counties generally receive automatic relief because the IRS identifies qualifying taxpayers by their addresses.
People outside those counties may also qualify when records necessary to meet a covered deadline sit inside the disaster area. They must contact IRS Special Services at 866-562-5227 to request relief.
The postponement covers many individual and business income tax returns, affected quarterly estimated tax payments, and certain employment and excise tax returns. It includes qualifying quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due July 31 and November 2, 2026.
Important Exceptions For Taxpayers
The extension applies to qualifying taxpayers who obtained an extension to file their 2025 individual income tax returns. It does not extend payment of taxes originally due April 15, 2026, because that payment deadline preceded the disaster period.
Most information returns in the W-2 and 1099 series do not receive the general postponement. Payroll and excise tax deposits follow separate rules: the IRS will waive penalties on deposits due from July 14 through July 28 if taxpayers made those deposits by July 29.
Taxpayers with IRS installment agreements can avoid default for missed payments during the postponement period, although interest and applicable late-payment penalties continue to accrue. Existing direct debits also continue unless taxpayers arrange to suspend them.
What Affected Texans Should Do
The IRS advises eligible taxpayers who receive late-filing or late-payment penalty notices for deadlines within the postponement period to call the number printed on the notice to seek abatement.
The agency will also waive its usual fees for certain copies of previously filed returns. Taxpayers requesting records should place disaster declaration number SD-0018-DR on Form 4506 or 4506-T, as appropriate.
The deadline relief does not cancel taxes owed. Instead, it gives qualifying Texans additional time to meet specific obligations while they recover. Taxpayers should review the official IRS notice for the full county list and rules that apply to their filings.
Provided by Dallas Express
