For Immediate Release
Contact: Gigi Thompson Jarvis, CAE
202.822.6232, x119
gjarvis@naea.org
W ASHINGTON, DC, (January 28, 2016) – When it comes to tax relief for one of the hardest states to spell,
two easy acronyms play a big role: FEMA and IRS. After the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
(FEMA) disaster declaration for individual assistance for Mississippi counties devastated by tornadoes
and storms in December , the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stepped up and offered special tax relief
not just for the victims of the storm, but for the aid workers assisting them. Both of these groups will have
until May 16, 2016 to file their returns and pay any taxes due.
If you live in an area that is hit by disaster, keep in mind that there are special tax provisions designed to
help in recovery. The National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) has tax advice that will help if you
have to deal with disaster loss:

Try to be as paperless as possible by scanning your tax documents and saving them to
the cloud or onto a CD or DVD. If you choose the disc option, keeping it somewhere other
than your home or business is a good idea – if the buildings are damaged in the disaster,
you’ll be glad you kept them off premises.

Catalogue your valuables and business equipment so you can prove the market value of
items for insurance and casualty loss claims if they are damaged in a disaster. If you
don’t have time to list your valuables, take pictures or videos and do a complete inventory
of damage before the mess gets cleaned up. After the cleanup process has begun,
people often don’t remember what they threw away. Be sure to photograph the inside and
outside of the house or business and as much personal property damage as possible.

IRS Publication 584, “Casualty and Disaster Loss Workbook,” will help you conduct a room-byroom inventory of damage. The workbook may be obtained by visiting www.irs.gov.

Tax deductions for buildings with structural damage require a qualified appraisal and
records of the repairs to restore the building to its previous condition. Keep in mind that
all claims for damage must first be submitted to the property owner’s insurance carrier,
even if the property is not covered, in order to take a casualty loss deduction.
To make sure you take advantage of every tax provision to help you through a disaster, it would be wise to
consult a licensed tax professional. Enrolled agents (EAs) are licensed by the U.S. Department of Treasury
and overseen by the IRS. EAs provide tax preparation, tax advice, and tax planning services in addition to
helping taxpayers resolve problems with the IRS. To find an enrolled agent in your area, go to
www.eatax.org.
National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA)
The National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) is a professional society that supports its members
with resources, education and networking and by representing their interests to government, business and
the general public. Members are dedicated to honest, intelligent and ethical representation of taxpayers
before the IRS. NAEA powers America’s Tax Experts.