IRS developed a plan for the government shutdown. And as you can imagine it is not good for tax payers. The Treasury Department released its 63-page long “FY2014 Shutdown Contingency Plan (Non-Filing Season)” for IRS on September 27.

Impact on filing- Yes you are required to file on time and pay taxes as usual. Tax payers with extensions are required to file by Oct 15 to be considered timely filed return. Electric filing is supported. Paper returns will not be processed until the shutdown ends.

No in-person or live phone assistance. No live telephone customer service assistance will be available during the shutdown. However, most automated toll-free telephone applications will remain operational. IRS walk-in taxpayer assistance centers will also be closed. IRS’s website will remain available, although some of its interactive features may not be available.

Certain appointments presumed cancelled. 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. Read More