The government shutdown does not mean you get out of paying your taxes. All payments are due in full on their regularly scheduled dates. While it might be nice if no taxes were collected during the shutdown, unfortunately it simply does not work that way.
It’s enough to make you think they are just yanking our chains. Cue the official IRS statement:
Due to the current lapse in appropriations, IRS operations are limited. However, the underlying tax law remains in effect, and all taxpayers should continue to meet their tax obligations as normal.
Individuals and businesses should keep filing their tax returns and making deposits with the IRS, as they are required to do so by law. The IRS will accept and process all tax returns with payments, but will be unable to issue refunds during this time. Taxpayers are urged to file electronically, because most of these returns will be processed automatically.
No live telephone customer service assistance will be available, however most automated toll-free telephone applications will remain operational. IRS walk-in taxpayer assistance centers will be closed.
While the government is closed, people with appointments related to examinations (audits), collection, Appeals or Taxpayer Advocate cases should assume their meetings are cancelled. IRS personnel will reschedule those meetings at a later date.
Automated IRS notices will continue to be mailed. The IRS will not be working any paper correspondence during this period. Here are some basic steps for taxpayers to follow during this period.
How does this affect me?
What IRS services will be available?
Tax On Wheels, LLC is open and available to assist you. Please contact us at 803 732-4288 if we can help you in any way.
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is postponing the furlough day scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30 due to its successful ongoing efforts to cut costs. In early September, the IRS will reevaluate the need for an additional furlough day before the federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.
As a result, IRS offices will be open as usual. This means that all toll-free services, including the Taxpayer Advocate Service, will follow their regular Friday schedule, as will many of the agency’s taxpayer assistance centers (TAC) nationwide. However, because help may be limited or unavailable at some locations, the IRS highly recommends taxpayers check IRS.gov for office hours and services offered at the location they plan to visit before making the trip on Aug. 30.
Taxpayers can often get the tax information they need or resolve a tax problem without having to call or visit an IRS office. A wide variety of web-based online tools and phone-based automated services are available including Where’s My Refund?, the Online Payment Agreement, Withholding Calculator, Order A Transcript, EITC Assistant, Interactive Tax Assistant, Tele-Tax, the Online Look-up Tool for those needing to repay the first-time homebuyer credit and the online preparer tax identification number PTIN system for tax professionals. Visit online tools on IRS.gov to learn more about these tools.
So far, the IRS has taken three furlough days on May 24, June 14 and July 5, due to the budget situation including the sequester. Due to vigorous ongoing efforts by IRS employees to cut costs, the agency was able to cancel the scheduled July 22 furlough and is now able to postpone the furlough originally scheduled for Aug. 30.
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service is cancelling the furlough day scheduled for Monday, July 22 due to its successful ongoing efforts to cut costs.
As a result, IRS offices will be open as usual and IRS employees will be paid for that day. This means that all toll-free services, including the Taxpayer Advocate Service, will follow their regular Monday schedule, as will most of the agency’s taxpayer assistance centers nationwide. Taxpayers should check IRS.gov for days of service and hours as well as services offered at the location they plan to visit.
Taxpayers can often get the tax information they need or resolve a tax problem without having to call or visit an IRS office. A wide variety of web-based online tools and phone-based automated services are available including Where’s My Refund?, the Online Payment Agreement, Withholding Calculator, Order A Transcript, EITC Assistant, Interactive Tax Assistant, Tele-Tax, the Online Look-up Tool for those needing to repay the first-time homebuyer credit and the online preparer tax identification number PTIN system for tax professionals. Visit online tools on IRS.gov to learn more about these tools.
So far, the IRS has taken three furlough days on May 24, June 14 and July 5, due to the budget situation including the sequester. The IRS is considering the status of the scheduled furlough day, Friday, Aug. 30, and will make an appropriate announcement before that date.
You don’t have to wonder if Tax On Wheels, LLC will be on furlough, we are always open and available when you need us. Give us a call at 803 732-4288 if we can assist you with a tax problem.
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that due to the current budget situation, including the sequester, the agency will be shut down on Friday, July 5.
As was the case on May 24 and June 14, the first two furlough days, all IRS operations will again be closed on July 5. This means that all IRS offices, including all toll-free hotlines, the Taxpayer Advocate Service and the agency’s nearly 400 taxpayer assistance centers nationwide, will be closed.
IRS employees will be furloughed without pay. No tax returns will be processed and no compliance-related activities will take place. The IRS noted that taxpayers should continue to file their returns and pay any taxes due as usual. This includes the special July 15 filing and payment deadline for those affected by the Boston Marathon explosions. Taxpayers needing to contact the IRS about this or other upcoming returns or payments should be sure to take this Friday’s closure into account.
Because none of the furlough days are considered federal holidays, the shutdown will have no impact on any tax-filing or tax-payment deadlines. The IRS will be unable to accept or acknowledge receipt of electronically-filed returns on any day the agency is shut down.
The only tax-payment deadlines coinciding with any of the furlough days relate to employment and excise tax deposits made by business taxpayers. These deposits must be made through the Treasury Department’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), which will operate as usual.
On the other hand, the agency will give taxpayers extra time to comply with a request to provide documents to the IRS. This includes administrative summonses, requests for records in connection with a return examination, review or compliance check, or document requests related to a collection matter. No additional time is given to respond to other agencies or the courts.
Where the last day for responding to an IRS request falls on July 5, the taxpayer will have until Monday, July 8–the next business day.
Some web-based online tools and phone-based automated services will continue to function this Friday, while others will be shut down. Available services include Withholding Calculator, Order A Transcript, EITC Assistant, Interactive Tax Assistant, Tele-Tax and the Online Look-up Tool for those needing to repay the first-time homebuyer credit. Services not available this Friday include Where’s My Refund?, the Online Payment Agreement and the online preparer tax identification number PTIN system for tax professionals. Visit online tools on IRS.gov to learn more about these tools.
The remaining scheduled furlough days are July 22 and Aug. 30, 2013. If necessary, the IRS may announce one or two additional furlough days.
The IRS will also be closed as scheduled on Thursday for the Fourth of July federal holiday.
If you need assistance please feel free to contact Tax On Wheels, LLC at 803 732-4288. We are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. If you should need assistance during non working hours simply leave a message and someone will contact you as soon as possible.
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that, due to the current budget situation including the sequester, the agency will be shut down on Friday, June 14.
As was the case on May 24, the first furlough day, all IRS operations will again be closed on June 14. This means that all IRS offices, including all toll-free hotlines, the Taxpayer Advocate Service and the agency’s nearly 400 taxpayer assistance centers nationwide, will be closed.
IRS employees will be furloughed without pay. No tax returns will be processed and no compliance-related activities will take place. In addition, the online preparer tax identification number PTIN system for tax professionals will also be shut down.
The IRS noted that taxpayers should continue to file their returns and pay any taxes due as usual. This includes the June 17 deadline for those making a second-quarter estimated tax payment. It also includes the June 17 filing deadline for taxpayers abroad and the June 30 deadline for filing foreign financial account reports FBAR Taxpayers needing to contact the IRS about these or other upcoming returns or payments should be sure to take this Friday’s closure into account.
Because none of the furlough days are considered federal holidays, the shutdown will have no impact on any tax-filing or tax-payment deadlines. The IRS will be unable to accept or acknowledge receipt of electronically-filed returns on any day the agency is shut down.
The only tax-payment deadlines coinciding with any of the furlough days relate to employment and excise tax deposits made by business taxpayers. These deposits must be made through the Treasury Department’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), which will operate as usual.
On the other hand, the agency will give taxpayers extra time to comply with a request to provide documents to the IRS. This includes administrative summonses, requests for records in connection with a return examination, review or compliance check, or document requests related to a collection matter. No additional time is given to respond to other agencies or the courts.
Where the last day for responding to an IRS request falls on June 14, the taxpayer will have until Monday, June 17–the next business day.
Some web-based online tools and phone-based automated services will continue to function this Friday, while others will be shut down. Available services include Withholding Calculator, Order A Transcript, EITC Assistant, Interactive Tax Assistant, Tele-Tax and the Online Look-up Tool for those needing to repay the first-time homebuyer credit. Services not available this Friday include Where’s My Refund? and the Online Payment Agreement. Visit online tools on IRS.gov to learn more about these tools.
The remaining scheduled furlough days are July 5, July 22 and Aug. 30, 2013. If necessary, the IRS may announce one or two additional furlough days.
If you need assistance with IRS issues please do no hesitate to contact Tax On Wheels, LLC at 803 732-4288.
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service announced today additional details about the closures planned for May 24, June 14, July 5, July 22 and Aug. 30, 2013.
Due to the current budget situation, including the sequester, all IRS operations will be closed on those days. This means that all IRS offices, including all toll-free hotlines, the Taxpayer Advocate Service and the agency’s nearly 400 taxpayer assistance centers nationwide, will be closed on those days. IRS employees will be furloughed without pay. No tax returns will be processed and no compliance-related activities will take place.
The IRS noted that taxpayers should continue to file their returns and pay any taxes due as usual.
Taxpayers needing to contact the IRS about their returns or payments should be sure to take these furlough dates into account. In some instances, this may include taxpayers with returns or payments due soon after a furlough day, such as the June 17 deadline for taxpayers abroad and those making a second-quarter estimated tax payment as well as the Sept. 3 deadline for truckers filing a highway use tax return.
Because none of the furlough days are considered federal holidays, the shutdown will have no impact on any tax-filing deadlines. The IRS will be unable to accept or acknowledge receipt of electronically-filed returns on any day the agency is shut down.
Similarly, tax-payment deadlines are also unaffected. The only tax payment deadlines coinciding with any of the furlough days relate to employment and excise tax deposits made by business taxpayers. These deposits must be made through the Treasury Department’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), which will operate as usual.
On the other hand, the agency will give taxpayers extra time to comply with a request to provide documents to the IRS. This includes administrative summonses, requests for records in connection with a return examination, review or compliance check, or document requests related to a collection matter. No additional time is given to respond to other agencies or the courts.
Where the last day for responding to an IRS request falls on a furlough day, the taxpayer will have until the next business day. If the last day to respond is Friday, May 24, for example, the taxpayer will have until Tuesday, May 28 to comply (Monday, May 27 is Memorial Day). Further details on the impact of the shutdown on IRS procedures will be available on IRS.gov.
Some web-based online tools and phone-based automated services will continue to function on furlough days, while others will be shut down. Available services include Withholding Calculator, Order A Transcript, EITC Assistant, Interactive Tax Assistant, the PTIN system for tax professionals, Tele-Tax and the Online Look-up Tool for those needing to repay the first-time homebuyer credit. Services not available on those days include Where’s My Refund? and the Online Payment Agreement. Visit online tools on IRS.gov to learn more about these tools.
At a later date, the IRS may possibly announce one or two additional furlough days if necessary.
Tax On Wheels, LLC encourages you to contact your Congressional representatives to let them know how the sequester is impacting you. Please let us know if we can assist you during the shutdowns. We can be reached at 803 732-4288.
You might have seen the term “sequestration” in the news lately. It is a process that automatically cuts the federal budget across all departments and agencies.