(NEXSTAR) – Americans who filed for more time on their 2024 federal tax filings may be wondering if anyone will be around to cash their check when the Oct. 15th extension deadline hits. But fear not, the Internal Revenue Service still wants your money.
Most Americans paid their 2024 taxes by the deadline this past April, but the IRS estimated 19 million would ask for an extension, giving them until Oct. 15 to pay. Some of them may have hoped that the Federal government shutdown starting Oct. 1 would give them another reprieve, but that’s not the case.
Earlier this week, the IRS issued a contingency plan for operations in the event of a shutdown. That document confirms that all workers will stay on the job for the first five days of a shutdown. After that, essential functions will continue.
IRS representative Anthony Burke says the current IRS budget is part of a separate funding package and that payments will still be due, even if the shutdown drags out.
“Filing and payment requirements under the Federal tax law remain unaffected by the current lapse in appropriations,” said Burke.
Despite the short-term stability, some question whether the IRS will be subject to delays and complications over the long term. The agency was hit by a major staff reduction earlier this year when the initiative known as DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, slashed the agency’s workforce.
On Wednesday, Treasury’s Inspector General said that while the 2025 tax filing was successful with several key improvements, concerns remain about functioning in 2026.
“Key IRS functions responsible for managing the filing season have lost 17 to 19 percent of their workforce” as a result of the cuts, the report states.
The report says the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will require the IRS to make substantial changes ahead of the 2026 Filing Season, “but the agency will have fewer Information Technology resources to timely update processing systems.”
Regardless of how the agency handles future initiatives and staffing challenges, taxpayers can continue to count on the old saying about American life often attributed to founding father Benjamin Franklin: “Nothing is certain except for death and taxes.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
