62 Texas Counties Just Got Until Feb. 1 to File — Here's Which Business Deadlines Moved

If your business is based in one of 62 Texas counties, you may have more time than you think. The IRS has postponed a range of federal tax deadlines to February 1, 2027 for taxpayers affected by the severe storms and flooding that began July 14, 2026. The IRS highlighted the relief in its November 4 e-News for Small Business, and Texas outlets reported the county list after Gov. Greg Abbott announced the approval.

The relief is automatic for most businesses in the covered area. But it is not a blanket pass: some payments are excluded, interest can still build, and the extension does not automatically reach every federal form or deposit. Here is how to find out where you stand.

What the IRS postponed

The relief covers deadlines that fall between July 14, 2026, and January 31, 2027. Anything due in that window is moved to February 1, 2027. According to Houston-area reporting on the announcement, covered items include:

• 2025 individual income tax returns for taxpayers with a valid extension, who now have until Feb. 1, 2027.
• Quarterly estimated income tax payments originally due during the relief period.
• Business returns for eligible corporations, partnerships and other businesses with deadlines in the covered period.
• Quarterly payroll and excise tax returns normally due July 31, 2026, and November 2, 2026.

The payroll item is the one many owners will care about most. If your third-quarter payroll return was due November 2 and you have not filed it, the relief gives you until February 1. Check that your business actually qualifies first, using the criteria below.

What is not covered

Tax payments originally due April 15, 2026 are not covered, because that date came before the storms began. The IRS also does not apply the extension to every federal form or deposit. As the Houston reporting put it: "The extension also does not automatically apply to every federal tax form or deposit."

Two other limits are worth knowing. First, the IRS said it may approve additional disaster-related relief later, so the picture could change. Second, interest and late-payment penalties can still accumulate on amounts you owe. If you can pay on time, doing so keeps the balance from growing even while the deadline is postponed.

The 62 counties

The relief applies to taxpayers in these counties. Twelve are in the greater Houston and Southeast Texas region:

Austin, Brazoria, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Harris, Matagorda, Waller, Washington and Wharton.

The other 50 counties are:

Atascosa, Bandera, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, Edwards, Frio, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Jackson, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Live Oak, Llano, Mason, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Mitchell, Pecos, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Webb, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata and Zavala.

Who qualifies, and what you need to do

Individuals who live in a designated county qualify, and so do businesses whose principal place of business is there. You do not need to show storm damage to get the automatic extension. The IRS identifies eligible taxpayers using the address on file, so most people do not need to apply.

Two practical points follow from that:

• Your address on file matters. If you moved your business or never updated your mailing address with the IRS, the automatic relief may not find you. Confirm what address your filings use.
• Your records may count even if your address does not. People outside the designated counties may still qualify if the records they need to meet a deadline are located in the disaster area. That could apply to an owner whose bookkeeper or files were in a flooded office.

If you fall outside the list but were affected, the IRS says to call its Special Services line at 866-562-5227 to ask for relief. Recognized disaster relief workers and certain other affected people may also qualify.

If you already got a penalty notice

If the IRS sends a late-filing or late-payment penalty notice for a deadline that falls inside the postponement period, call the number printed on the notice. The IRS can remove applicable penalties. Keep a copy of the county list and the date of the announcement with your records so you can point to them.

The relief also helps if you are on an installment agreement. Missed installment payments during the postponement period will not cause a default. But automatic bank withdrawals continue unless you suspend them, so decide whether you want them to keep running while cash is tight.

A checklist for affected owners

1. Confirm your county. Check the lists above against your principal place of business, not just where you live.
2. List every deadline between July 14, 2026 and January 31, 2027. That includes estimated tax payments, extended returns and quarterly payroll filings.
3. Separate what moved from what did not. Anything due before July 14, 2026 stays as originally scheduled. Verify deposits and specific forms in the IRS announcement rather than assuming.
4. File and pay anyway if you can. The postponed date is a safety net. Interest still builds, and a February 1 pile-up of several returns can be hard to manage.
5. Gather records for any casualty loss. Photos, repair estimates, insurance correspondence and receipts help support a claim.
6. Talk to your tax preparer now. The window is long, but year-end and filing season will crowd calendars.

Keep payroll tidy while you rebuild

Payroll deadlines are where small mistakes turn expensive, so make sure the basics are in place. Your payroll filings run under your business's employer identification number; if you are unsure whether yours is set up correctly, our EIN guide covers the essentials. Keep business money in a dedicated business bank account so you can quickly pull the records you need. And review your coverage after a storm: our business insurance guide explains what common policies do and do not cover.

Other help for storm-hit Texas businesses

Tax relief is separate from disaster lending. Owners recovering from the July storms may also want to check whether SBA disaster loans or other assistance is open for their county, since deadlines for those programs differ from the IRS date. Ask your accountant to coordinate the two so your records line up.

The bottom line

For businesses in these 62 counties, February 1, 2027 is the new date to watch for a wide set of returns and payments. Confirm that you qualify, know which items are excluded, and use the extra time to file accurately rather than to fall behind. If your situation is not clear, the IRS Special Services line and a qualified tax professional are the right next calls.

Sources: IRS e-News for Small Business, Issue 2026-23 (November 4, 2026); Click2Houston reporting on the IRS announcement (October 28, 2026).

Photo by Wes Warren on Unsplash