Edit: This blog post previously claimed the IRS would not issue tax refunds, which was accurate according to a 2011 Office of Management and Budget decision. However, the IRS recently announced they would issue tax refunds despite the government shutdown. We have updated the blog to reflect this change.

When it comes to taxpayer-relevant IRS services during a government shutdown, it's not always clear which services will be available once filing season arrives. Luckily, our friends at the Latino Tax Professionals Association recently published an article outlining specific services that will and will not be available should the government shutdown continue:

"We have good news and bad news.

The bad news: The IRS is among the government agencies affected by the government shutdown.

The good news: The IRS has a contingency plan in place which addresses which services the agency will and will not offer during the shutdown. 

During the shutdown, the IRS is still offering the following services:

• Processing electronic and paper filed returns
• Processing disaster relief transcripts
• Design and printing of tax forms
• Accepting payments
• Issuing refunds

During the shutdown, the IRS will not be offering the following services:

• Answering phone calls—try it 800-829-1040
• Processing 1040X amended returns
• Conducting audits or examinations of returns 

Although the IRS has yet to announce a beginning to the 2019 tax season, we encourage you to continue planning for the upcoming tax season and suggest you stay up to date on all the new tax changes before the season starts."   

To see more LTPA content, visit their website: LatinoTaxPro.org