IRS to Delay Tax Season
The Internal Revenue Service will be delaying the start of the 2013 (tax year) tax season for approximately two weeks. This is one of the residual effects of the government shutdown.
Per the IRS:
“The Internal Revenue Service today announced a delay of approximately one to two weeks to the start of the 2014 filing season to allow adequate time to program and test tax processing systems following the 16-day federal government closure.
The IRS is exploring options to shorten the expected delay and will announce a final decision on the start of the 2014 filing season in December, Acting IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said. The original start date of the 2014 filing season was Jan. 21, and with a one- to two-week delay, the IRS would start accepting and processing 2013 individual tax returns no earlier than Jan. 28 and no later than Feb. 4. “
The delay isn’t too serious. However, people who were expecting their refunds in late January will be disappointed. The IRS article mentioned the advantages of e-filing your return:
“The IRS will not process paper tax returns before the start date, which will be announced in December. There is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date, and taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file with direct deposit. “
At Dukhon Tax and Accounting we e-file all eligible returns (98% of returns, in our experience, are eligible). This is the safest and most efficient method of filing. A copy of the e-filed return is then uploaded to the client portal and tax documents are available at any time. This is a huge help when filling out those FAFSA or other financial applications!
Here’s a few more fun facts from the IRS:
“IRS processes, applications and databases must be updated annually to reflect tax law updates, business process changes, and programming updates in time for the start of the filing season.
During the closure, the IRS received 400,000 pieces of correspondence, on top of the 1 million items already being processed before the shutdown. “
As we always say, the IRS and system of taxation in our country is ever increasing in complexity. Now is a great time to speak to someone in our office to see how we can help you with your tax needs. We’ll begin to e-file returns as soon as the IRS allows it. In most cases, we can prepare the return and be ready to process it as soon as it is ready. Don’t delay and get your refund early!
Call 617 651 0531 or e-mail [email protected] or use the contact form below!
All the best,
Staff at Dukhon Tax and Accounting