Previously, we shared how the Whitehouse stated there would be no disruption to tax 
filing or the issuance of refunds.
On Tuesday, the IRS shared some details of its revamped contingency plan for operations during the government shutdown. In order to meet the Whitehouse’s demands of no disruptions in the processing of returns and refunds, the IRS has recalled about a half of its workforce (approximately . That’s the “good news.” The bad news is, many of the recalled workers will be working without being paid.
As previously noted, while there will be no disruption to processing of returns, this doesn’t mean that there won’t be disruptions to other IRS services. For example, when calling the IRS’s support line, you will receive a message stating that phone support is unavailable. The timing of this disruption couldn’t be worse, as taxpayers try to understand all of the changes under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that was enacted last year.
It’s probably safe to say that taxpayers will be in for a bumpy ride through the remainder of the shutdown and the IRS is able to reinstate all of its services. In the meantime, if you have questions pertaining to the TCJA, please contact your Zinner tax expert.
