The IRS has not yet released its shutdown contingency plan. However, historically, the IRS has been one of the most aggressive federal agencies in curtailing operations during funding lapses.
According to the IRS chief counsel, government workers can only remain on the job during shutdowns if their duties protect the government rather than individuals. This means that ordinary taxpayers may face greater financial hardships.
During the 35-day government shutdown in late 2018 and early 2019, employees from the Taxpayer Advocate Service, the agency’s consumer rights watchdog, could only open mail to search for checks payable to the government (source). They were unable to conduct case work or assist in resolving taxpayer disputes, which are fundamental purposes of the agency.
In addition, at the beginning of that particular shutdown, the roughly 12 percent of IRS employees who remained on the job could not answer taxpayer phone calls, issue tax refunds, release liens and levies, or provide various other taxpayer services (source). As the shutdown continued closer to the filing season, which typically begins around January 1st each year, more employees were exempted and thousands of staff members were brought back to work on tasks such as answering phones and issuing refunds.
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