Californians hit by storms will get tax relief and a new IRS deadline. Here’s who qualifies

California residents living in counties hit hard by the tumultuous set of storms in January will qualify for some tax relief and deadline extensions, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Deadly flooding and mudslides throughout the state caused damages estimated between $31 billion and $34 billion as of Wednesday, according to AccuWeather, a commercial weather forecasting site.

Here’s what you need to know:

How does it work?

Any California resident with a IRS address located in the disaster area will automatically receive filing and penalty relief from the IRS.

If you receive a late filing or late payment notice and reside within a disaster area, the IRS advises that you call the number on the notice to have the fee removed.

Postponed tax deadlines

Those affected by the storm now have until May 15, 2023 “to file various federal individual and business tax returns” as well as make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday. The tax deadline is usually in April.

Some of payment deadlines that have been postponed include:

Which California counties are included in the change?

Those who were affected must live in the counties included in the federal emergency declaration to qualify. The full list of qualifying counties is listed below:

Sonoma

Colusa

El Dorado

Glenn

Humboldt

Los Angeles

Marin

Mariposa

Mendocino

Merced

Monterey

Napa

Orange

Placer

Riverside

Sacramento

San Bernardino

San Diego

San Joaquin

San Luis Obispo

San Mateo

Santa Barbara

Santa Clara

Santa Cruz

Solano

Stanislaus

Sutter

Tehama

Ventura

Yolo

Yuba

As counties get added to the list, those residing there will also qualify for a tax break. If your county is not listed as a disaster area, but you did experience damages due to the storms, the IRS stated in its press release to contact its offices.