The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is planning to push back the tax deadline from April 15 to May 17, the IRS announced late Wednesday.

"The IRS wants to continue to do everything possible to help taxpayers navigate the unusual circumstances related to the pandemic, while also working on important tax administration responsibilities," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig wrote in a statement.

"Even with the new deadline, we urge taxpayers to consider filing as soon as possible, especially those who are owed refunds," Rettig urged, noting that Americans can file electronically to earn quicker refunds, and set up direct deposit to receive refunds and stimulus payments.

Taxpayers can also postpone payments to May 17 without incurring any penalty, the IRS went on to say. 

Two key members of Congress celebrated the news in a statement.

"This extension is absolutely necessary to give Americans some needed flexibility in a time of unprecedented crisis," Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, and Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement.

"Under titanic stress and strain, American taxpayers and tax preparers must have more time to file tax returns. And the IRS itself started the filing season late, continues to be behind schedule, and now must implement changes from the American Rescue Plan. We are gratified that the IRS has recognized the need and heeded our calls for additional time, and while we are pleased with this 30-day extension, we will continue to monitor developments during this hectic filing season," they added.

They also announced that IRS Commissioner Rettig will testify at a hearing before the House Thursday afternoon.

Spectrum News has reached out to the IRS for comment. The news was first reported by Bloomberg.

According to The Washington Post, the move comes as the IRS attempts to cut down a backlog of about 24 million tax filings since the 2019 tax year; the Post reports that the news was communicated to Congressional aides.

A number of lawmakers and advocates have called for the tax filing deadline to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Institute of CPAs called for the deadline to be pushed back to June 15 in a letter to the IRS commissioner.

NOTE: Initial reports suggested that the tax deadline would be pushed back to May 15. This has since been corrected to May 17.