By: Kelly Phillips Erb for Forbes, picture from GETTY
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that tax season will open on Monday, January 28, 2019. The IRS will begin accepting paper and electronic tax returns that day.
The IRS made the start date announcement despite the ongoing government shutdown. “We are committed to ensuring that taxpayers receive their refunds notwithstanding the government shutdown. I appreciate the hard work of the employees and their commitment to the taxpayers during this period,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.
According to the IRS, Congress directed the payment of tax refunds through a permanent, indefinite appropriation (31 U.S.C. 1324). The IRS says it has “consistently been of the view that it has authority to pay refunds despite a lapse in annual appropriations.” While the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has previously directed the IRS not to pay refunds during a lapse, the IRS indicated that OMB has reviewed the relevant law at Treasury’s request and concluded that IRS may pay tax refunds during a lapse. To read more about tax season, please click here.
