Information on HSA deadlines affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton taxpayer relief

My heart goes out to all those living in the areas devastated by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The loss of life and destruction is heart wrenching.

As a Texan, I’m no stranger to clean up and recovery after natural disasters. And in my line of work, I’m always on the lookout for ways to help employers better assist their people. With severe disasters, I know your first steps as employers are to make certain your teams are safe. When you’re farther along in the recovery process, here is helpful information about disaster-related tax relief, especially related to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton relief for taxpayers in impacted states

Due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton in September and October of 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced affected taxpayers will receive relief by postponing certain deadlines falling on or after each impacted state’s effective date (see below) and before May 1, 2025.

• Hurricane Helene tax relief for affected areas in 7 states
• Hurricane Milton tax relief for Florida

What employers need to know about extended HSA deadlines in certain states

Deadlines applying to tax-advantaged accounts, such as 2024 HSA contribution deadlines, that fall within this time period are also extended to May 1, 2025. The extensions give eligible taxpayers additional time to make 2024 contributions to their HSAs, as well as more time for tax filing.

Individuals will have until May 1, 2025 to file income tax returns and pay any taxes that were originally due between the effective date of their impacted state and May 1, 2025.

This means that an individual with a 2024 income tax return due by April 15, 2025 would be extended to May 1, 2025. Likewise, individuals with quarterly estimated income tax payments due (i.e. 2024 quarterly estimated income tax payments normally due on Jan. 15, 2025, and 2025 estimated tax payments normally due on April 15, 2025) would also be extended to May 1, 2025.

The complete list of states and their extended filing deadline dates can be found in the 2024 section of the IRS’s Tax Relief in Disaster Situations, and include:

• Alabama¹ – Filing and contribution deadlines falling on or after September 23, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025.

• Florida² – Filing and contribution deadlines (for areas impacted by Helene) falling on or after September 23, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025; filing and contribution deadlines for Broward, Indian River, Martin, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties falling on or after October 5, 2024 are also postponed to May 1, 2025.⁸

• Georgia³ – Filing and contribution deadlines falling on or after September 24, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025.

• North Carolina⁴ – Filing and contribution deadlines falling on September 25, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025.

• South Carolina⁵ – Filing and contribution deadlines falling on September 25, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025.

• Virginia⁶ – Filing and contribution deadlines falling on September 25, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025.

• Tennessee⁷ – Filing and contribution deadlines falling on September 26, 2024 are postponed to May 1, 2025.

More tax-related information for employers

Here’s where to find additional information on tax-related subjects:

• HSA tax filing resources for benefits professionals.
• Regulatory updates in the Remark Blog, including information on health plan reminders, contribution rates, medical mileage rates, and more.
• HealthEquity help center for businesses offers extensive resources on subjects ranging from enrollment materials to Covid relief.

Thank you for reading. For everyone recovering from these severe storms, I wish you strength. I’ll continue to look for resources that will help you and your employees recover from natural disasters. Stay safe.