Taxpayers Will Have to File Paper Returns After the Shutdown

IRS Modernized e-file for Tax Year 2016 closes on Saturday, November 18, 2017—even for taxpayers in disaster areas and those who qualified for a January 31, 2018 extension.

The e-filing system is being taken offline for annual maintenance and the reprogramming needed to get it ready for the Tax Year 2017 filing season. While clients who fail to file before the shutdown on November 18 will have to file paper returns, they still have some time.

Disaster relief information for those affected by recent natural disasters, like Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Tropical Storm Harvey, and the recent California wildfires can be found on the Internal Revenue Service's website. These IRS.gov webpages contain information like the specific locations that are considered federal disaster areas, when affected taxpayers are expected to file, what kind of losses they can claim, and more.