Shutdown or Not, Taxes Still Due

By Cynthia Herbert :: 8:41 PM

If you filed for a 6-month extension on your tax paperwork back in April, this Tuesday is the deadline to get your paperwork in to the IRS. Don’t think that the current government shutdown is going to make the IRS forget about what you owe them – it’s not – they still expect your paperwork in the mail on October 15th.

While Uncle Sam still demands your returns be in by the 15th, the shutdown will prevent any type of refund being processed.

“Tax refunds will not be issued until normal government operations resume,” the IRS said in a statement released last week, preparing taxpayers for the shutdown.

In addition to the halt on refund payments, the agency is also not staffing its support centers or call lines during the stalemate, as 90% of IRS staffers are on a mandated furlough program, and are not reporting to work. The IRS website does remain functional, however, and some automated telephone lines are also working to assist filers.

The only current exception to Tuesday’s deadline is that an extension has been granted to military service members currently serving in Afghanistan, and to some residents of Colorado that have been affected by recent storms in that state.