(Business Insider)
The IRS typically begins accepting tax returns by the end of January.
Tax refunds may be delayed if the ongoing partial government shutdown continues, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A delay in tax refunds may affect the taxpayers who need it the most — low-income households, who typically file taxes sooner than wealthy filers because they need the money more.
This comes during a year when many American taxpayers should be expecting bigger refunds than normal.
Taxpayers who file early in tax season may not receive their refunds in a timely manner thanks to the partial government shutdown that began on December 22, according to the Wall Street Journal.
If the shutdown continues, that could mean a delay in "billions of dollars in income-tax refunds," reported the Journal's Richard Rubin.
During the shutdown, the IRS has lost funding and is operating with around 12% of its employees, according to Rubin. While it can process tax returns, keep systems running, and conduct criminal investigations, it can't run audits, answer off-season taxpayer questions, or allocate refunds, he reported. Read more
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