What does the Government shutdown mean for Taxes?

The U.S. government shutdown has entered its 3rd week and most IRS activities have been halted. The IRS says it will soon release a contingency plan for this federal income tax filing season. Until then, a shutdown back in 2013 may provide clues as to how the IRS will handle things. At that time, the IRS instructed taxpayers to keep filing their returns and making deposits, as required by law. No telephone service was available. Walk-in taxpayer assistance centers were closed. And while the IRS website remained available, some of its interactive features weren’t