Every year, before the start of the fiscal year (FY), Congress must enact a budget bill. There are a total of 12 appropriations bills here, one for each of the 12 subcommittees on appropriations. Legislation pertaining to the budget needs to be signed by the president before it can take effect.
File Taxes During a Government Shutdown
Conflicting opinions on the federal budget have the potential to force a shutdown of government operations. Until new funding legislation is signed into law, only necessary programmes, such as Social Security and Medicare, are allowed to operate during a shutdown. Taxpayer responsibilities, however, remain substantially unchanged.
Even if the government is closed, you can still submit your tax return on time. When you have all the necessary information, such as a W-2 and 1099, you can compile and submit the form. If you are entitled a tax refund, the sooner your return is processed once it is received, the sooner you will get your money.
Tax Returns may be Handled Automatically and Quickly
In most cases, tax returns may be handled automatically and quickly without any human intervention, hence filing electronically is strongly recommended. In the case of a government shutdown, the IRS will still accept paper returns, but they will not be processed, and taxpayers who file paper returns will have to wait longer to receive their refunds. Even though some phone-based customer support will stay open, the IRS is closing its walk-in taxpayer assistance centres.
In The Midst of The Shutdown
At present, activities to process tax returns in the 1040 series that were filed electronically are still ongoing.
Most tax refunds for electronically submitted returns will be issued when the returns are completed. For tax returns submitted on paper, the processing time for refunds will be significantly longer than usual. The IRS’s e-file and Free File services are still the fastest way to get a refund, and they are unaffected by the shutdown.
Last Words
Regardless of whether or not the government is open, you should be getting ready for tax season by compiling your personal information and last year’s information, obtaining paperwork for your dependents, keeping track of your income and deductions, and organising your finances.
The Internal Revenue Service advises taxpayers to file their returns electronically and have their refunds deposited into their bank accounts via direct deposit. Thanks for reading our article Can You File Taxes During a Government Shutdown.
