On Sept. 1, 2011, the IRS announced that it is granting taxpayers whose preparers were affected by Hurricane Irene until Sept. 22 to file returns normally due Sept. 15. Your preparer must be located in an area that was under an evacuation order or a severe weather warning because of Hurricane Irene, even if the preparer is located outside of the federally declared disaster areas.

This relief, which primarily applies to corporations, partnerships and trusts that previously obtained a tax filing extension, is available regardless of your location. It does not apply to any tax payment requirements.

The IRS also announced that certain taxpayers in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Puerto Rico will receive tax relief, and other locations are expected to be added in coming days, following additional damage assessments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). You should monitorwww.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=108362,00.html for updates.

The tax relief postpones certain tax filing and payment deadlines to Oct. 31, 2011. It includes corporations and businesses that previously obtained extensions until Sept. 15, 2011, to file their 2010 returns and individuals and businesses that received a similar extension until Oct. 17. It also includes the estimated tax payment for the third quarter of 2011, which would normally be due Sept. 15.

Full details, including the start date for the relief in various locations and information on how to claim a disaster loss by amending a prior-year tax return, can be found in tax relief announcements for individual states.

The tax relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by the hurricane and is based on local damage assessments by FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, visit www.disasterassistance.gov.