Amid concerns that an extended partial federal government shutdown would prevent tax refund checks from being printed, White House officials said on Monday that the IRS will pay out refunds if the shutdown continues into tax season.
According to the Wall Street Journal , the White House confirmed the decision, which reverses a long-standing shutdown policy.
The IRS has been working with less than 15 percent of its typical workforce during the shutdown. Although refund checks will still be printed if the shutdown drags on, the shutdown could make it challenging for taxpayers to contact the IRS. Taxpayers may have more questions than usual this tax season following changes to the federal tax code which went into effect in 2018.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Russell Vought, the acting OMB director, told reporters, the administration is trying to make the government shutdown as “painless as possible consistent with the law.”
