Shutdown: What to Tell Tax Clients During “The Lapse”

Government shutdown scrambles busy season.

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By Rick Telberg
CPA Trendlines

The Internal Revenue Service is struggling to continue operations as the nation heads into tax season during the “appropriations lapse,” a.k.a the government shutdown.

Some 16,000 IRS employees are exempt from the shutdown, and another 30,000 are being called in to work without pay—a total of 57.4 percent of the 80,265 employed before the shutdown.

Nevertheless, with four desks out of ten empty, the IRS is holding back on most services that require human involvement.

Tax practitioners would do well to advise their clients of the following:

Posted on January 21, 2019