The shutdown came during the peak period for preparing IRS systems for the upcoming tax season. Over 50 different systems need to be programmed, tested and deployed each year. The majority of that work must occur in the Fall to accommodate any changes Congress makes to the tax laws.
The IRS is exploring ways to shorten the delay and will announce a final decision on the start of the 2014 filing season in December. The original start date was to be January 21st. With a one- to two-week delay, the IRS would start accepting and processing 2013 individual tax returns no earlier than January 28th and no later than February 4th.
Turner's Tax Service will begin preparing 2013 returns on Monday, January 20th so taxpayers should schedule an appointment as soon as they have all of their forms (W2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements, etc.). Completed returns will be held and electronically filed as soon as the IRS is ready to accept them.
When the IRS announces the official start date, Turner's Tax Service will share that information. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the upcoming tax season. We can be reached at 530-626-8551 or [email protected]