IRS offers extension to Washington mudslide victims, relief workers

The Internal Revenue Service on Friday offered victims of the Washington mudslide a six-month extension to file their returns and pay any taxes due. Following the declaration of a disaster in the area, the IRS said residents of Snohomish County, including the Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish and Tulalip tribes, will receive this and other special tax relief. Residents of these counties will have until Oct. 15 to file their returns. All residents living with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area would automatically qualify for the extension and taxpayers need not contact the IRS about the relief. The announcement comes a day after four members from the state's congressional delegation -- Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Reps. Suzan DelBene of Medina and Rick Larsen of Everett -- asked IRS commissioner John Koskinen for a quick decision on the filing reprieve. The IRS said it will also work with taxpayers who may live outside the disaster area but require records from addresses within the disaster area in order to file. All relief workers assisting the search activities who are working with a recognized government or philanthropic organization also qualify for the extension. The March 22 mudslide hit less than a month before the April 15 tax deadline, and has so far resulted in 30 confirmed deaths, 27 of whom have been identified.