The IRS re-opened operations on Oct. 17, and said in an email to tax professionals that its employees are reporting back to work. In the meantime, the agency has assessed the impact of the 16 day government shutdown on its national operations.
According to the IRS Web page about the re-opening, it has begun processing tax returns received since Oct. 1, along with related refunds. The IRS states as follows:
The IRS has reopened after 16 days of closure due to the lapse in appropriations that began Oct. 1. The public may experience longer wait times or limited service as we take steps to bring employees back to work and resume all operations. High telephone demand is expected and many IRS walk-in offices around the country may open at staggered times on Oct. 17 and 18.
The IRS encourages taxpayers to wait to call or visit if their issue is not urgent, and to continue to use automated applications on the IRS website, www.IRS.gov, whenever possible.
During the shutdown the IRS continued as many automated processes as possible including accepting returns and processing payments. However, refunds were not issued while the IRS was closed. As a reminder, any paper return received during the shutdown and postmarked by the due date will be considered timely filed by the IRS.
Fax machines related to Automated Underreporter (AUR), Automated Collection System (ACS), Centralized Authorization File (Power of Attorney) as well as others are back on line. For people who submitted information and received a confirmation via their fax machine that the IRS received the transmission during the shutdown, there is no need to resubmit the material.
The IRS has begun processing tax returns received since Oct. 1, along with related refunds.We have also begun to respond to paper correspondence, transcript requests and authorization forms received during the shutdown from third parties. However initial delays can be expected as the IRS resumes full operations and works through backlogged inventory.
We appreciate your patience as we restart our efforts on behalf of the nation.
Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 17-Oct-2013
In addition, IRS has issued an Operations Resumption Statement, which states the following:
The IRS started reopening operations on Oct. 17. Our employees are reporting back to work, and we are assessing the impact of the 16-day shutdown on our national operations.
At this point, we know we received a large amount of correspondence during the closure. We know there will be a substantial increase in demand for our phone services and many other operations. On Oct. 17, we started reopening our phone lines and our Taxpayer Assistance Centers, both of which will take time to ramp up to normal operating status. In addition, other business operations have started resuming, including the processing of billions of dollars of refunds for individuals and businesses and honoring transcript and authorization requests from third parties.
Given the high demand for services, the IRS encourages taxpayers to wait to call or visit if their issue is not urgent, and to continue to use automated applications on the IRS website, www.IRS.gov, whenever possible. Taxpayers who need immediate assistance are encouraged to visit Taxpayer Assistance Centers in their area or try call centers but should be aware there will be delays. In the days ahead, we will continue assessing the effect of this unprecedented situation on IRS operations, and we will do everything we can to resume our normal operations as quickly as possible so that we can best serve the needs of the American taxpayer. We greatly appreciate the patience of taxpayers and tax professionals during this period.
Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 18-Oct-2013
To find out how these delays will impact you, please contact us.