Tax News IRS Update: The Government Shutdown and Your Taxes Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Written by TurboTaxLisa Published Oct 2, 2013 - [Updated Aug 23, 2019] 2 min read The government shutdown that took place on October 1 left everyone with questions about how the shutdown will impact them. If you are one of the taxpayers that filed an extension, you may be wondering if the shutdown impacts filing your taxes. Don’t worry. We have you covered and have answers to your burning questions: Should I still file my extended tax return in light of the shutdown? Yes, you still need to file your tax return by the October 15th extended deadline. E-filing your return is the fastest way to have your tax return processed. Returns filed by mail will not be processed until after the shutdown is over. Acknowledgements will be issued by the IRS for e-filed accepted tax returns. You said paper filed returns will not be processed, but I have to mail mine. Will it be considered timely filed? Yes, although paper tax returns will not be processed until after the shut down is over, the postal service will still post mark your paper filed return. Any tax return postmarked by the due date will be considered filed on time by the IRS. Will the IRS shutdown exclude me from late filing penalties if I don’t file by October 15? No, the IRS still requires that you file your tax return by the extended deadline. I owe money on my 2012 taxes, what should I do? You should submit the balance owed electronically when you e-file your taxes. Payments received will still be posted to your account. If you have a previous balance due, you should submit the payment as you normally do. Will the government shutdown affect my tax refund? If you e-file your tax return, the IRS will still process your tax return as it normally would. If you are due a tax refund, it will be issued when the shutdown is over. Can I still check the status of my tax refund? If your tax return was processed before the shutdown, you can use “IRS Where’s My Refund?” to check the status of your tax refund. If you e-filed your tax return after the shutdown your e-filed tax return will be processed, however you will not be able to check the status of your refund until after the shutdown is over. I need to contact the IRS, but I can’t get through, what should I do? During the government shut down, IRS agents will not be there to take your call. At TurboTax we have you covered and are up to date with the latest tax laws. Our tax experts are available to answer your questions. For more information please view the IRS Announcement. Previous Post IRS Announcement: Tax Relief for Victims of Colorado Storms Next Post Government Shutdown is Over: IRS Will be Back to Work Written by Lisa Greene-Lewis Lisa has over 20 years of experience in tax preparation. Her success is attributed to being able to interpret tax laws and help clients better understand them. She has held positions as a public auditor, controller, and operations manager. Lisa has appeared on the Steve Harvey Show, the Ellen Show, and major news broadcast to break down tax laws and help taxpayers understand what tax laws mean to them. For Lisa, getting timely and accurate information out to taxpayers to help them keep more of their money is paramount. More from Lisa Greene-Lewis Follow Lisa Greene-Lewis on Twitter. 116 responses to “IRS Update: The Government Shutdown and Your Taxes” « Older Comments Newer Comments » I filed for an injured spouse received letter stating how much I would get back but no one at the irs can tell me when anyone know how long it takes to get injured spouse refund Reply Hi I have a dilemma and can’t seem to find an answer for what I’m looking for back in 2012 I filed my taxes mailed them out certified and have proof that they were received on 3/26. Deadline was April 17 2012 however they were sent back because the signature was missing. Received on 4/20 and I overnight end them on 4/23 they rec on 4/24 so now they sent me a letter stating that they won’t give me a refund because they were filed after the dead line. Can I appeal and win this or should I just give up? Reply Greetings: I filed my 2012 fed return as an extension on October 12, 2013 by paper… I cannot get a status of my refund via irs site, phone app or phone #. What should I do or what can I expect. Thanks, Dave Reply I filed my paper 2012 return before April 15, 2013 and included a tax payment. I called in May as I was going abroad, and there were no issues (demands, notices, requests for info etc.) I did receive a notice in Sept. stating my refund amt. had been adjusted, no amt. given. I called at the end of November, and as told the payment had been received, and the return was still being processed. I sadly assumed all was OK in May and made financial decisions as a result of that. Any Ideas? Reply Hello! I have a question reguarding my 2011 tax return. I still have yet to file it, as it is a paper return, and was wondering if i have time left in the year to send it in so i am able to get my refund? If they recieve it before the end of december, will i get a refund or will it not get processed in time? I havent been able to send it in as i didnt have a job to pay for the filling fees. I would hate to lose out on the money im owed. Reply You have up to 3 years to claim your refund. Reply I am just wondering since the government shut down meaning they didnt offer us any government services that out taxes pay for is there some way for all of us to get a tax credit for the time they shut down? If we were being taxed for a service we are not receiving shouldnt we get a refund for that period of time? Reply How long does a mailed return take to be processed? I sent my 2011 & 2012 returns in on the 30th of Oct.I check WMR last week & ironically TY2011 is showing up but not TY2012. Spoke to IRS rep today said that they were received on NOV 20th and are being processed but 2012 is still saying No record found.He also stated 4 to 6 weeks form the day they recieved them is this true will I be waiting another month for my refund? Reply same here! Mailed 2011 on Oct 15th and 2012 on Nov 3rd. 2011 is “still processing” 2012 not acknowledged Reply Zking Thank you for the reply!Finally someone who has the same scenario. Have you had any luck calling?If so what have you been told? I called and spoke to several reps last week& was told that my 2011 & 2012 were both received on Nov 20th. The 2011 return has been processed completely but they informed me that they have a hold on 2011 refund & none of them could give me a reason as to why. The last rep informed me iIf they needing anything they would send me a letter requesting information but they had 8 weeks from the day they recieved it to do so. CRAZY.I guess 2012 is just setting there on someones desk..From the horror stories on other blogs, it doesn’t look to promising. People have been waiting since Feb for 2012.Refunds that have no reasons for holds. So if you could keep me updated on your returns it would be greatly appreciated. how long will the irs send out refund payments or I guess when will they stop issuing refund for 2013? Reply I was wondering if tax refunds for returns filed electronically during the shutdown are being processed within the expected 10-21 days or if they have been delayed. if anyone knows, please comment. thanks! Reply Hi. I just want to ask when can I file my first e-tax return? 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I filed for an injured spouse received letter stating how much I would get back but no one at the irs can tell me when anyone know how long it takes to get injured spouse refund Reply
Hi I have a dilemma and can’t seem to find an answer for what I’m looking for back in 2012 I filed my taxes mailed them out certified and have proof that they were received on 3/26. Deadline was April 17 2012 however they were sent back because the signature was missing. Received on 4/20 and I overnight end them on 4/23 they rec on 4/24 so now they sent me a letter stating that they won’t give me a refund because they were filed after the dead line. Can I appeal and win this or should I just give up? Reply
Greetings: I filed my 2012 fed return as an extension on October 12, 2013 by paper… I cannot get a status of my refund via irs site, phone app or phone #. What should I do or what can I expect. Thanks, Dave Reply
I filed my paper 2012 return before April 15, 2013 and included a tax payment. I called in May as I was going abroad, and there were no issues (demands, notices, requests for info etc.) I did receive a notice in Sept. stating my refund amt. had been adjusted, no amt. given. I called at the end of November, and as told the payment had been received, and the return was still being processed. I sadly assumed all was OK in May and made financial decisions as a result of that. Any Ideas? Reply
Hello! I have a question reguarding my 2011 tax return. I still have yet to file it, as it is a paper return, and was wondering if i have time left in the year to send it in so i am able to get my refund? If they recieve it before the end of december, will i get a refund or will it not get processed in time? I havent been able to send it in as i didnt have a job to pay for the filling fees. I would hate to lose out on the money im owed. Reply
I am just wondering since the government shut down meaning they didnt offer us any government services that out taxes pay for is there some way for all of us to get a tax credit for the time they shut down? If we were being taxed for a service we are not receiving shouldnt we get a refund for that period of time? Reply
How long does a mailed return take to be processed? I sent my 2011 & 2012 returns in on the 30th of Oct.I check WMR last week & ironically TY2011 is showing up but not TY2012. Spoke to IRS rep today said that they were received on NOV 20th and are being processed but 2012 is still saying No record found.He also stated 4 to 6 weeks form the day they recieved them is this true will I be waiting another month for my refund? Reply
same here! Mailed 2011 on Oct 15th and 2012 on Nov 3rd. 2011 is “still processing” 2012 not acknowledged Reply
Zking Thank you for the reply!Finally someone who has the same scenario. Have you had any luck calling?If so what have you been told? I called and spoke to several reps last week& was told that my 2011 & 2012 were both received on Nov 20th. The 2011 return has been processed completely but they informed me that they have a hold on 2011 refund & none of them could give me a reason as to why. The last rep informed me iIf they needing anything they would send me a letter requesting information but they had 8 weeks from the day they recieved it to do so. CRAZY.I guess 2012 is just setting there on someones desk..From the horror stories on other blogs, it doesn’t look to promising. People have been waiting since Feb for 2012.Refunds that have no reasons for holds. So if you could keep me updated on your returns it would be greatly appreciated.
how long will the irs send out refund payments or I guess when will they stop issuing refund for 2013? Reply
I was wondering if tax refunds for returns filed electronically during the shutdown are being processed within the expected 10-21 days or if they have been delayed. if anyone knows, please comment. thanks! Reply