The Internal Revenue Service announced on Tuesday that it will delay the start of the 2014 tax filing season by approximately one to two weeks due to delays caused by the recent closure of the federal government.
Citing the need for “adequate time to program and test tax processing systems,” the service announced that it expected a one- to two-week delay in the start of tax season, and that it would start accepting and processing 2013 individual tax returns no earlier than Jan. 28, 2014, and no later than February 4. Tax season had been expected to start on January 21.
According to Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel, the service was exploring options to shorten the expected delay, but also noted, “Readying our system to handle the tax season is an intricate, detailed process, and we must take the time to get it right. The adjustment to the start of the filing season provides us the necessary time to program, test and validate our systems so that we can provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation’s taxpayers.” The official start date will be announced in December.
For more information regarding tax season delay, contact Robert Burch at (773) 779-4447 or visit www.accountingtoday.com
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It’s unfortunate that we will be delayed this tax season, especially since the government shutdown could’ve been avoided. Some individuals rely on tax returns each year either to pay off debt, enroll in school, purchase transportation, etc. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.