NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Taxpayers who are owed refunds will be paid on time, despite the partial government shutdown that has closed many federal agencies, a Trump administration official said Monday as concern mounted over the risk that the payments could be delayed.
As it dragged through a third week, the shutdown could not have come at a worse time for the Internal Revenue Service. Marian Hall with H&R Block said tax season starts January 28th so be as prepared as possible.
"The one thing we do know is that the filing deadline is April 15 and that's not expected to change so people still need to file their taxes," she said.
Hall has helped people file their taxes for 16 years. She recalled helping during past shutdowns. The biggest question people asked was would their tax returns be delayed?
The IRS said late Monday that it will recall a large number of furloughed employees to process returns. They will probably work without pay. Under the previous rules, hundreds of billions of dollars in refunds could be delayed because funding would not be available.
"What do we do about filing? Really that's the biggest message, file as normal. File your taxes. It gets you in queue for a refund, it tells you what your balance due is, what your refund is going to be, it tells you what your bottom line is now so you can prepare accordingly," she said.
The 1995-96 shutdown lasted 21 days making it the longest in U.S. history.
