IRS Shutdown Delays 2014 Tax Filing Season

Last updated on October 28, 2013

The federal shutdown that last for 16-days is continuing to take its toll on the IRS. Apart from tackling the delays caused by the large number of tasks that went unattended during the shutdown, the IRS is also considering the impact the shutdown will have in 2014. The agency has already announced that the 2014 tax filing season will be delayed by a week or two.

The IRS has not yet announced the date for the start of the filing season in 2014. The IRS also had to delay the tax season in 2013 because the Congress was yet to take decision on major tax issues.

The government shutdown has impacted almost all of the IRS’s operations. Since than 90 percent of IRS employees were not working during the shutdown, delays are expected for most of its operations, especially the ones that are not automated.

During the shutdown, taxpayers could file taxes, but the IRS did not issue refunds. After resuming its operations, the IRS has announced that taxpayers shouldt expect delays in getting their refunds, as the agency has a substancial backlog to process. Although the IRS is now operating normally, it will take considerable time for them to get back to normality due to the enormous amount of correspondence they get each day. Taxpayers can keep themselves up-to-date about the changes by visiting the IRS website.