Treasury provides options to taxpayers with difficulties to file returns, pay on Wednesday deadline
Parés urges use of links on SURI online system to request extensions
SAN JUAN – The Treasury Department set up a link on its web page to assist taxpayers and tax-return filing specialists who are confronting difficulties that may keep them from filing 2019 income tax returns on Wednesday’s deadline.
Treasury Secretary Francisco Parés Alicea said Tuesday that even though the income tax filing deadline was pushed back from April 15 to July 15 due to the Covid-19 pandemic emergency, the official noted that there could still be crisis-provoked situations that could hamper proper tax filings on time.
“Realizing that the emergency continues and to avoid physical contact, we have enabled a link through [the agency’s online] Unified Internal Revenues System [SURI by its Spanish acronym], so that taxpayers can report situations that impede them from complying with the deadline,” the official said in a press release.
Parés said that taxpayers should go to the main page of SURI (www.suri.hacienda.pr.gov) and under the “Asistencia con su acceso” link, obtain access to the “Radicación Planilla 2019” category to file the report.
“Taxpayers and their representatives should provide a brief description and provide a screen capture of the error they are confronting,” he said. “In the case of tax-return specialists, they should include in the Evidence section the Form SC 2745, of Proxy and Declaration of Representation [Poder y Declaración de Representación].”
The Treasury chief said that those taxpayers and specialists who request assistance before midnight Wednesday will be considered to have filed on time and will not face penalties for filing late, even when the tax return has been submitted after the situation has been resolved following the deadline.
Parés said that taxpayers and specialists who have difficulty with the submission of the extension request for filing of tax returns for juridical entities or foreign individuals who do not have a Social Security, may submit an online extension request (Form SC 2644) by selecting the “Prórroga Planilla 2019 Entidades Jurídicas o Prórroga Planilla 2019 Individuos Extranjeros sin Número de Seguro Social” category under the “Asistencia con su acceso” link.
All taxpayers who have a balance to pay on their 2019 tax return or with an extension request may make the payment at the “Opciones de Pago” link, under the “Otros Servicios” section of the main page of SURI.
On the other hand, the Treasury chief said that Act 57-2020 established a mechanism to allow all taxpayers who do not have the economic resources to make a payment on the tax filing deadline to request an installment plan to liquidate the pending balance. To qualify for the installment plan, taxpayers must have no other tax debt and must commit to paying off the 2019 income tax debt by March 31, 2021, he said, adding that interest, fees and penalties will be eliminated if the whole debt is payed off by this date.
The application for the installment plan for the 2019 income tax return will be available on SURI starting on August 1, Parés said, noting that his agency will issue a circular letter with the procedure to apply for the installment plan. Moreover, he cautioned taxpayers that in the next 15 days the agency will be updating the SURI page and they may not see their filed 2019 tax returns in their online accounts during this period.
“However, we assure you that they will not be affected because as soon as the updates are finalized, they will be able to see in their accounts the filed tax returns on the dates that they were submitted,” he said, adding that more detailed information can be obtained in Internal Revenue Informative Bulletin 20-17, available at the agency’s website. He said that taxpayers may also send their questions through their SURI accounts.
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