IRS announces most operations are closed and nearly half of its workforce will be furloughed

"The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce on Wednesday as part of the ongoing government shutdown, according to an updated contingency plan posted to its website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said in a separate letter to its workers.The news comes after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to fund federal operations, and the government shutdown has entered its second week, with no discernible endgame in sight."

""Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week," she said. "Every day these employees are locked out of work is another day of frustration for taxpayers and a growing backlog of work that sits and waits for the shutdown to end.""

Approximately 39,870 IRS employees, or 53.6% of the workforce, will remain working as the government shutdown continues, while nearly half of staff will be furloughed. Most IRS operations are currently closed and the agency had initially planned to use Inflation Reduction Act funds for the first five business days. It remains unclear which employees will stay on the job. The National Treasury Employees Union warned of longer wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes, and noted that furloughed and working employees will receive back pay once the shutdown ends. President Trump previously said about 750,000 federal workers could be furloughed.

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