IRS Assistance
The IRS has two special publications to assist people through the maze of tax paperwork associated with disaster reporting. One is intended for individuals. The other is written for businesses. The publications are available by clicking on the links below.
Publication 2194 - 2005 Disaster Losses Kit For Individuals
Publication 2194b - 2005 Disaster Losses Kit For Businesses
The publications are lengthy because in addition to outlining your options in detail, they also include copies of all the forms you may need. If you live within the federal disaster area and you lost your prior year tax forms, the publication outlines the steps for getting free copies of old returns. The loss calculation forms include a long inventory of potential items you can claim. While you still have to work through some typical IRS style writing, overall, the publications are thorough and helpful.
If you file a corporate return for your farm you may want to get both forms. Then you can file any applicable forms for both your farm and yourself. If your farm income is all included on your Form 1040 then you may only need the kit for individuals.
Each publication is about 100 pages long. The downloaded files are about 2 MB each. If you have a dial up connection the download could take some time. If you prefer, you can get the forms by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-3676. On their voice mail system select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish and then 2 for Ordering Forms. You will be on hold for a while then you will speak to a person who can send you the forms you need. They will be mailed to the address you specify. You may also be able to get help from your local IRS office.
