Posted on March 21 2020

Coronavirus Update 3/21/20

EMERGENCY UPDATE — Saturday, March 21 —

To Our Clients:

For your convenience, we have added an Emergency Update section to our website, where you can view this and all previous Coronavirus updates.

Late yesterday afternoon, shortly after our 3/20/20 Coronavirus update was released, Pennsylvania announced that accounting and income tax preparation services will be considered life-sustaining businesses. As a result, we are permitted to resume onsite operations and will do so effective Monday, March 23, 2020. In keeping with social distancing recommendations, the office will remain closed to clients and visitors, but your phone calls will be answered between 8 AM and 12 noon, Monday through Friday. Please see our email update from Thursday, March 19, 2020 for further details. This abbreviated schedule will continue until further notice. Please note that the best way to contact us continues to be via email.

If you have information you would like to provide to us, please do so by US postal service, overnight delivery services such as FedEx or UPS, client portal, fax, or email.

Now that Pennsylvania has recognized us as a life-sustaining business, what does that mean? In our update yesterday, we surmised that Pennsylvania would most likely follow the federal government’s lead by extending the April 15 tax filing and tax payment due dates to no earlier than June 15. That may no longer be the case. It is possible that Pennsylvania is not in a position financially to defer collection of tax payments.

We are now working on the basis that Pennsylvania’s tax filing and tax payment due dates will remain unchanged at April 15. This means you will have to do the following on or before April 15:

• File your 2019 PA return or an extension
• Pay any tax balance due for 2019 (with either the return or the extension)
• If applicable, pay the first installment of your estimated taxes for 2020

Should Pennsylvania decide to extend any of the above dates, we will notify you by means of another email update.

For our clients residing in states other than Pennsylvania, or for those with filing requirements in multiple states, we continue to monitor your state agencies’ responses to the current events that are unfolding with respect to tax filing and payment requirements, and will contact you as further guidance is made available.

As we have all learned by now, this is a very volatile situation that is literally changing from day to day. Please watch for continuing updates in this regard.

Your continuing patience and understanding during these unprecedented times are greatly appreciated. As always, stay safe and healthy.

Very truly yours,
MillerSearles LLC | Certified Public Accountants | Advisors