There have been many questions about whether or not the IRS will continue to operate under the current government shutdown.
Photo by Benedikt Geyer on Unsplash
Based on newsletters that I have read from what I consider to be reliable sources, IRS will in fact continue to operate. However, they will not be operating at full capacity. My sources indicate that returns requiring normal processing will function as usual with virtually no delay. Those are processed by computer, anyway. Returns requiring review by a person will be delayed. How long it will be delayed will be affected by the length of the shutdown.
With any type of return, there is a normal range of numbers, income, deductions, credits, etc. If the numbers on a return are within these ranges, it is far less likely to require review than if it is wildly different. Also, if your return is vastly different from your return last year, it might trigger a review. At any rate, returns that are within normal ranges by return type and similar to the prior year return will have a better chance of being processed immediately.
Given the ever changing political environment with the shutdown in Washington, we will have to operate as usual and hope for the best. Eventually, all returns will be processed, and most refunds will be paid. The returns that don’t get paid wouldn’t have been paid anyway, because there is something wrong that has to be checked out. Keep in mind that returns that include an earned income credit won’t be processed until the middle of February anyway.
IRS will open for business Mon, Jan 28, 2019. We will proceed as usual with the preparation of your return. Hopefully our government will get it together, iron out their differences, and get back to work.