Guest Taxed Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 IRS Operations During The Lapse In Appropriations 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? You should continue to file and pay taxes as normal. Individuals who requested an extension of time to file should file their returns by Oct. 15, 2013. All other tax deadlines remain in effect, including those covering individuals, corporations, partnerships and employers. The regular payroll tax deadlines remain in effect as well. You can file your tax return electronically or on paper although the processing of paper returns will be delayed until full government operations resume. Payments accompanying paper tax returns will still be accepted as the IRS receives them. Tax refunds will not be issued until normal government operations resume. Tax software companies, tax practitioners and Free File will remain available to assist with taxes. What IRS services will be available? For taxpayers seeking assistance, only the automated applications on the regular 800-829-1040 telephone line will remain open. The IRS website, www.IRS.gov, will remain available, although some interactive features may not be available. The IRS Free File partners will continue to accept and file tax returns. Tax software companies will continue to accept and file tax returns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 If the automated notices are going out, but correspondence isn't being reviewed, what about the 30 day deadlines for correspondence? I see a bunch of NOD's in the future... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 I always recommend my clients to send responses to notices via certified mail. That will come in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Jani Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 I just faxed one CP2000 notice reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 The fax machine at IRS may overflow with no one to attend to?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraEA Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 What a mess! The laws mandating deadlines on still in effect, so pay up. But the IRS can't pay out. We know that when refunds aren't paid within 90 (???) days the IRS must pay interest. This could prove to be an expensive shutdown, even if it only lasts a few days. We can't call the IRS because no one will be there to answer. Even on the practitioner hotline many days it takes an hour to get through, so once they get back up and running and all of us who need to speak to someone call, expect the wait time to be three hours. Automated notices will still go out but we can't respond to them. Hmmm...does that mean 30-day notices will become 30+ day notices, or will our clients be in trouble? It will take a heap of expensive lawyers to figure out if taxpayers are being denied due process. Everyone except Congress seems to know that every dollar spent on an auditor returns hundreds of dollars in tax collected. But audits are cancelled during what the IRS calls the "appropriations lapse." So we won't be collecting all this money and, for some at least, the SOL will hit and we'll never be able to collect it. This is plain idiocy. Some people in that Congress are making a very expensive point, making the gov't spend more because they don't want it to spend as much. Where is the logic in that? And all of them, Dems and Republicans alike, are staging a p**sing contest, grabbing for the limelight and making a stand. They think they're winning power and fame, but they're doing so at the lowly citizens' expense. Last national election I voted against EVERYONE who was already in office (even some I kind of liked). If all of us do the same next election, we can clear the floor of all these partisan egos and get some people who will actually run the country like they're paid (handsomely) to do. In the meantime, we're the ones who have to help clients through deadlines that haven't been "lapsed," calm those who are waiting for refunds or anxiously awaiting scheduled audits, and hang on the phone for three hours and wait forever for POAs to be processed. Those of us who anticipated a breather after the Oct 15 deadline will have to remiind ourselves why we really love our jobs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 I have a client right now who was dealing with an auditor at the local IRS office and he was suppose to meet with him Friday. Obviously that is out the window and we do not know when we will get back on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 I have a client right now who was dealing with an auditor at the local IRS office and he was suppose to meet with him Friday. Obviously that is out the window and we do not know when we will get back on track. Auditus Interuptus? A new name for the "shutdown?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Automated notices will still go out but we can't respond to them. Hmmm...does that mean 30-day notices will become 30+ day notices, or will our clients be in trouble? It will take a heap of expensive lawyers to figure out if taxpayers are being denied due process. 30 day and 90 day letter deadlines will be extended, if they went out earlier. New ones shouldl not be going out until they are back at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxMan60601 Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Any timid predictions about the length of the 'lapse in appropriations'? .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 Any timid predictions about the length of the 'lapse in appropriations'? .... I say they will come to there senses by 10/17. We got a much bigger problem to deal with then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted October 2, 2013 Report Share Posted October 2, 2013 I say they will come to there senses by 10/17. We got a much bigger problem to deal with then. Really?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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