Pennsylvanians Encouraged to Use Electronic Filing Options for PA Tax Returns During COVID-19 Pandemic

Harrisburg, PA — The Department of Revenue is encouraging Pennsylvanians to take advantage of user-friendly electronic filing options for their Pennsylvania personal income tax returns (PA-40s). Even though the deadline for filing 2019 tax returns has been extended to July 15, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, filing now electronically is a good option, including for Pennsylvanians who are expecting a tax refund.

“We want our taxpayers to know that you don’t have to wait until July. We’re still processing returns and issuing the majority of refunds that are requested,” Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell said. “If you’re expecting a refund and you’re able to electronically file your return from home, that will help us deliver your refund as quickly as possible.”

The department recently announced the extension of the filing deadline to July 15, 2020 for taxpayers to file their 2019 Pennsylvania personal income tax returns and payments. The extension gave taxpayers an additional 90 days to file from the original deadline of April 15 as the commonwealth takes steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Despite its offices being closed, the department is processing the majority of the personal income tax returns that it receives electronically. The processing of paper returns and paper check payments submitted during the office closure will be delayed.

Electronic Filing Options:

• Padirectfile – Use this free, secure, state-only electronic income tax filing system that is available through the Department of Revenue’s website. For more information or to begin filing, visit Padirectfile.
• Electronic Filing Free – Free electronic filing options are available to file state and federal returns using software from a reputable vendor (income limits may apply). More vendor information  is available on the department’s website.
• Electronic Filing for a Fee – Paid tax preparers and commercial tax preparation software providers that offer e-filing for a fee are processing returns during the pandemic. E-filing offers advantages not available to taxpayers filing by paper, including error-reducing automatic calculators, instant confirmation of successful filing, faster refund processing and direct deposit options.  

July 15 Deadline

All taxpayers who received more than $33 in total gross taxable income in calendar year 2019 must file a Pennsylvania personal income tax return by midnight, Wednesday, July 15, 2020.  

Taxpayer Service and Assistance

The Department of Revenue is reminding taxpayers that is also has:

• Extended the deadline to file informational returns related to PA S corporations, partnerships, and estates and trusts to July 15, 2020.
• Extended the due date for corporations with tax returns due in May to August 14, 2020.
• Removed the requirement for some businesses to make prepayments of Sales and Use Tax for April, May and June of 2020. Many larger businesses are required to make prepayments under normal circumstances.
• Announced a plan to offer taxpayers increased flexibility, additional time to meet their tax obligations, and a reprieve from several tax enforcement actions.

With the department’s call centers closed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, taxpayers seeking assistance are encouraged to use the department’s Online Customer Service Center, available at revenue-pa.custhelp.com. You can use this resource to electronically submit a question to a department representative. The department representative will be able to respond through a secure, electronic process that is similar to receiving an email. Additionally, the Online Customer Service Center includes thousands of answers to common tax-related questions.

Find Alerts from Revenue Online

Taxpayers and tax professionals are encouraged to visit the Department of Revenue’s COVID-19 information page on www.revenue.pa.gov for additional guidance and updates on department operations. You can also visit the department’s pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for real time updates.

Visit the commonwealth’s Responding to COVID-19 guide for the latest guidance and resources for Pennsylvanians or the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s dedicated coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.

PITTSBURGH, Pa (April 20, 2020) – DICK’S Sporting Goods (DICK’S), the nation’s largest omni-channel sports retailer, has joined the growing list of organizations stepping up to help health care providers like Allegheny Health Network (AHN) respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in western Pennsylvania. DICK’S donated cots and blankets to AHN, as well as fanny packs for caregivers to carry essential personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, face shields and hand sanitizer.

The fanny packs will provide those on the frontlines a convenient way to store and access their PPE.

“We can’t thank DICK’S enough for its generous support of our caregivers and everyone at AHN and Highmark Health who are working hard to meet the needs of our patients and communities during this challenging time,” said Cynthia Hundorfean, AHN president and CEO.

AHN implemented its pandemic response plan in early February and continues to take steps daily to better prepare for a potential surge of COVID-19 patients in the days and weeks ahead. In late March, the network made protective surgical masks available to all employees working in clinical areas at its affiliated hospitals, and last week announced its innovative N95 mask sterilization and reuse process to further increase the availability of PPE for its employees.

“DICK’S Sporting Goods believes in giving back to our communities throughout the country and here in our hometown of Pittsburgh,” said Colleen Wilson, DICK’S Sporting Goods Manager of Corporate Relations. “Now, more than ever, we felt it was important to support our local hospitals. Through this donation of fanny packs, cots and blankets, it’s our hope that we can support Allegheny Health Network’s ability to receive and care for ill patients during this unprecedented time.”

“Allegheny Health Network places the highest priority on providing safe care for our patients while protecting of our staff. To that end, we continue to focus on the heightened importance of PPE for our caregivers who are on the frontlines of this pandemic,” said Allie Quick, AHN chief philanthropy officer. “We’re sincerely grateful for this thoughtful donation from DICK’S.  The fully-stocked fanny packs will help keep PPE close to our employees at all times for when they need it.”

DICK’S joins several local community organizations that have provided generous aid to support AHN’s COVID-19 response efforts. For more information on how to support AHN caregivers, visit https://www.ahn.org/coronavirus/ways-to-help.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 841 today that helps local communities and businesses respond to the COVID-19 emergency and protect the public. The bill provides flexibility on property tax deadlines, allows remote public meetings and notarization of documents so online vehicle sales can resume.

“This bipartisan legislation gives local governments and businesses additional options to help property taxpayers and address various needs,” said Gov. Wolf. “COVID-19 remains a very real threat and each of us needs to continue doing our part to cut back on physical interactions. This new law is a measured and safe way to provide relief as we continue to monitor the spread of the virus.”

The bill does the following:

• Reauthorizes the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council and requires it to study the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals and health systems.
• Allows local governments to conduct remote public meetings.
• Provides property tax relief by allowing taxing districts to waive late fees and penalties for property taxes paid by December 31, 2020.
• Allows school districts to renegotiate contracts with service providers to ensure payment of personnel and fixed costs during the school closure.
• Allows remote notarization of documents.

The governor vetoed Senate Bill 613.

(Harrisburg,Pa.) Governor Tom Wolf addressed the problems that had been getting reported with the new unemployment system that allows individuals who are self employed or Gig workers to file for unemployment Compensation. The Governor stated that normally a system like this would take time for testing and the Pa. Department of Labor and Industry wanted to get the system up and running as fast as possible and thus there have been problems that they are working to fix.

You can listen to Gov. Wolf’s comments by pressing the play button below.

(Harrisburg, Pa) Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf during a press conference with Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine annnounced a tenetiive date of May 8, 2020 to start lifting the “Stay at Home” order on a county by county case. The Governor said that it would start with counties that have had few cases of the COVID-19 and then move forward in phases with counties like Philadelphia County being the last.

The Governor He says the amount of coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania have stabilized and that the state didn’t see an overwhelming of the healthcare system.

You can hear Gov. Wolf’s Comments  pressing the play button below:

Wolf to ease restrictions on construction, vehicle sales
By MARC LEVY, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARK SCOLFORO The Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf says Pennsylvania will ease some restrictions on building construction and vehicle sales. Wolf announced a first, tentative step toward reopening the state’s economy after weeks of social distancing. As he spoke Monday, hundreds of protesters defied a ban on mass gatherings to stage an anti-shutdown rally at the Capitol. Meanwhile, both chambers of the Legislature are planning to return to session, as Republicans push legislation that would take away some of Wolf’s power to determine which businesses must remain closed during the pandemic. More than 33,000 people statewide have tested positive for the virus, and more than 1,200 have died.

Gov. Wolf Announces Online Vehicle Sale Process, Construction Restart Date, PLCB Curbside Pick Up

Governor’s Business Amendment
Health Secretary’s Business Amendment
Online Car Sales Guidance
Updated Industry Operation Guidance
Updated Industry Operation FAQ

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced three actions including online sales of vehicles, which will be enabled by the signing of SB 841, restart of construction projects statewide starting Friday, May 8, and curbside pickup of wine and spirits at select Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board locations.

“Over the past six weeks, Pennsylvanians have come together like never before to halt the spread of COVID-19,” said Gov. Wolf. “It has not been easy, but it has paid off. Today, we are taking small steps toward a degree of normalcy. We are allowing curbside pickup of phone orders at PLCB stores and auto sales will be allowed to take place online. On May 8, construction will resume statewide.

“I want to caution that we will not be resuming operations as they were in February. We’re going to continue to take precautions that limit our physical contact with others, and we will closely monitor this to see if it can be done safely.”

These limited steps forward will be closely observed in the coming days and weeks to ensure that they do not result in a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, in which case the governor will use his authority under the emergency disaster declaration to resume restrictions to protect public health and safety.

Vehicle Sales May Be Conducted Online

The governor will sign Senate Bill 841 later today that approves qualified Pennsylvania notaries public to perform remote online notarizations, which will allow auto dealerships to conducted limited car sales and leasing operations through online sales, as a notary is required to complete the transaction. Auto dealerships may continue to remain open for certain activities, such as repairs to passenger and commercial vehicles and sales of auto parts, but in-person car sales or leases are still considered non-life sustaining and remain prohibited at this time.

Construction With Strict Guidelines Resumes Friday, May 8 

Public and private residential and non-residential construction may resume statewide starting Friday, May 8, in accordance with safety guidance that will be issued by the administration shortly. Construction projects already deemed life-sustaining may continue while adhering to social distancing, personnel limits and other guidance as announced by the administration.

PLCB Begins Limited Curbside Pickup

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) today began accepting orders by phone for curbside pickup at 176 locations. Phone orders can be placed between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., or until reaching a store’s maximum order capacity each day. Curbside pickups will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. within a few days of order placement. Callers will be guided through each store’s unique inventory. There is a limit of six bottles per order, and credit cards are the only accepted form of payment. At pickup, customers will be required to present identification before the order is delivered.

The PLCB website lists the stores offering curbside pickup. PLCB anticipates expanding the service at more locations in the future. The PLCB website, FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, is also increasing order capacity.

Curbside sales at Fine Wine and Good Spirits Shoppes will serve as a guide to determine whether certain other non-life-sustaining businesses may be able to resume limited operations through curbside pickup, which is currently only permitted for life-sustaining businesses that offer food and pharmaceuticals.

The Administration will monitor the implementation of curbside pickup including the safety of the supply chain to determine if broader curbside pick up can be done safely and effectively to provide goods and services, while still limiting the amount of person to person contact not just at retail locations but throughout the supply chain.

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, Pennsylvanians should visit https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/.

The Latest: Fauci says reopening too quickly will backfire
By The Associated Press undefined

WASHINGTON — The top infectious-disease expert in the United States has a message for protesters who are ignoring their governors’ stay-at-home orders and calling for him to be fired over his guidelines.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says the message is “this is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics, from the standpoint of things that have nothing to do with the virus.”
He added on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that “unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery economically is not gonna happen. So what you do if you jump the gun and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you’re gonna set yourself back.”
Fauci says as painful as it is to follow guidelines of gradually phasing into a reopening “it’s gonna backfire. That’s the problem.”
___

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 948 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 33,232

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 20, that there are 948 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 33,232. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

The department is continuing to work to increase the types of cases that are being added to our death case counts. Today, 92 new deaths are reported among positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 1,204. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here. All people are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.

“As we start to see the number of new COVID-19 cases decrease across the state that does not mean we can stop practicing social distancing,” Sec. of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to stay home to protect ourselves, our families and our community. If you must go out, please make as few trips as possible and wear a mask to protect not only yourself, but others. We need all Pennsylvanians to continue to heed these efforts to protect our vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our health care workers and frontline responders.”

There are 129,720 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Less than 1% are aged 0-4;
• Nearly 1% are aged 5-12;
• 1% are aged 13-18;
• 6% are aged 19-24;
• 39% are aged 25-49;
• 28% are aged 50-64; and
• 24% are aged 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are aged 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 4,689 resident cases of COVID-19, and 504 cases among employees, for a total of 5,193 at 374 distinct facilities in 35 counties. Out of our total deaths, 682 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

All non-life-sustaining businesses are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide through the remainder of the academic year. Currently the entire state is under a stay-at-home order.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, April 19:

• Issued a fact sheet on the new worker safety order.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

County Case Counts to Date

COVID-19 Cases Associated with Nursing Homes and Personal Care Homes to Date