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IRS won't issue tax refunds during government shutdown

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IRS

(WCMH) – If the partial government shutdown continues into tax filing season, early filers will not get their expected refunds right away.

During a shutdown, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) only retains about 12.5% of its workforce, or 9,946 of its nearly 80,000 employees, according to its contingency plan.

During the shutdown, the IRS will continue to process returns and it will accept payments. If you owe money to the government, it’s still due by April 15, shutdown or not.

“Probably no surprise, they are still capable of taking your money, and they are still capable of processing returns that are being submitted,"
Scott Moffit, president of Summit Financial Group told WCPO.

The IRS will not, however, process refunds. They also won’t respond to questions from taxpayers. That may be concerning, considering massive changes were made to the tax system for the 2018 tax year.

You can file for an extension on your taxes, but if you owe, that money is still due by April 15.