Despite these issues, the IRS expects to stay on track processing returns and issuing refunds.
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Auspiciously, you can still file a return – even of the electronic variety – if you so choose.
The IRS said Wednesday that the IT team is working on repairing the hardware malfunction, though numerous affected systems likely won’t be available until Friday at the earliest.
If you haven’t filed and plan to use FreeFile, Forbes reports that that portion of the IRS website was up and running on Thursday as well as several free online tool including the Interactive Tax Assistant.
In the same statement, the IRS reassured taxpayers that the disruption would not cause too much hassle, and that 9 out of 10 people would still receive their refunds within 21 days. Technical difficulties have hit the Internal Revenue Service as people across the United States are trying to file their 2015 taxes.
The scope of the system issue was not immediately clear, but the IRS called it a “hardware failure”.
Just as the tax filing season has started, the IRS has temporarily stopped accepting electronically filed returns after its computer system crashed.
In a video released last month warning about the scams, Tim Camus, deputy inspector general for the Treasury Department, said Americans have lost more than $20 million to criminals impersonating IRS workers.
For those who have already filed, no action need be taken, said the IRS. In a Letter to the Editor of The Jersey Journal for example, an AARP representative notes “The IRS will NOT communicate with you by phone”.
IRS officials dissuade taxpayers from calling the agency regarding this matter.
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The IRS is considering waiting to pay refunds until they can match your W-2 to your return, but right now, the law is set up so they pay first and ask questions later. In a recent survey, the credit-reporting agency found that 42 percent of respondents are concerned that personal information used on tax forms could be compromised.
