People are incredulous when told it is possible to get a tax refund of all income taxes paid during 2014 to 2017 because of damage to their property from Hurricane Harvey.
Of course, getting a refund of 4 years income taxes depends on the amount of damage you incurred. The refund will be the lesser of the refund supported by the Hurricane Harvey damage or all the income taxes paid in 2014 to 2017.
Who Does Not Qualify?
Everyone qualifies if: 1) they paid taxes in 2014 to 2017, 2) they owned property damaged by Harvey and 3) they do not owe the IRS and are not behind on a student loan.
How Does it Work and Why Hasn’t My CPA Called Me?
The tax refund is triggered by: 1) a casualty in a disaster area and 2) a tax deduction related to the casualty. IRS Tax Code 165 allows for tax deductions for damages caused by casualties; it was passed in 1954, so this is not a new program. Your tax preparer may not have called you because he or she did not know you flooded or may not be familiar with this section of the IRS Tax Code. There are over 70,000 pages of IRS Code and explanatory documents. No one person knows all of it.
Why Doesn’t FEMA or Disaster Assistance Programs Tell Me About This?
Though it is not a new program, few are actually aware of the tax deduction victims are eligible to take caused by a casualty due to a disaster. FEMA and the other disaster assistance organizations are primarily focused on what they can do for flood victims, not on outside programs.
Under normal circumstances, individuals are subject to a casualty loss threshold of 10% of adjusted gross income (AGI) before relief is allowed. However, Congress waived the 10% AGI threshold for individuals in affected areas for the recent storms. This included Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Irma, and the fires in California.
How Long Does it Take?
We can do our work of coordinating and filing your refund application in about 1 to 2 weeks. The IRS reports they send 90% of all refund requests in 21 days or less. The IRS is expediting Harvey refunds, so they may be received in as little as 4 weeks.
Conclusion
If you own property flooded by Hurricane Harvey, and you paid income taxes in 2017, you are likely due a federal income tax refund. After all, it is YOUR money!
Would like more information
Hi Rachel!
Simply put, the Harvey Federal Tax Refund Program assists property owners by coordinating with tax professionals to file a tax refund request for casualty loss under IRS code 165. We cannot guarantee that you will receive any tax savings however if you do not receive any savings, there is no fee, guaranteed. If you’d like to learn more about the Harvey Federal Tax Refund Program please visit our website at Aid4Harvey.com or give us a call at (832) 917-0508.
Please send me more Information on this place. Thank you
Hello Janet!
For more information on the Harvey Federal Tax Refund program please visit Aid4Harvey.com or call us at (832) 917-0508 and we would be glad to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.
More info
1. Do I have to pay it back
2. And what if I have flood insurance?
Hi Michael!
Great questions. This program would still apply to you if you have flood insurance. You will not have to pay back anything. This is not a loan, it’s money that you’ve already earned and paid to the government.
For more information please visit Aid4Harvey.com or call us and we’d be happy to discuss with you.
Would like more information
Please send more information
Did not realize you also considered yourselves income tax experts. Last time I refer a client to you for a cost segregation study or property tax problem. Good luck to you in living up to all of the bullshit you are slurring. Please keep me posted on your success in manhandling these refunds out of the IRS in a few days.
How can I see if I qualify
Hi Sal! We have a dedicated Harvey customer service line at 832-917-0508 and our agents would be glad to help see if you would qualify for a Federal Tax Refund. Thank you!
Thanks William!