The IRS website is down, but don’t panic: Here’s how you can pay your taxes
It’s official: Today, April 17th, is the last day you can file your 2017 taxes. That means it’s time to seal up your return, mail it off to the government, and hope you’re getting a refund. But unfortunately, the IRS website is down today, and it’s unclear when it will be back up. In the meantime, take a deep breath and try not to worry. Here’s what you should know about the 2018 IRS crash, and how you can still pay your taxes despite it.
According to Politico the problem began this morning between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. EDT at a West Virginia IRS facility, and as of this writing, it had not been solved. Technical support workers are reportedly attempting to reboot the system, but if that fails, it could take up to a day and a half before the website is fully functional — time that tax filers don’t have at this point. The glitch is causing those who try to make a payment via the IRS Direct Pay service to see a message that “This service is temporarily unavailable.”
And in a cruel twist, the error message reminds viewers that tax payments are still due despite these technical difficulties.
So, what should you do if you need to file and pay your taxes?
NPR reports that last year, 5 million Americans filed their taxes the day they were due, so if you’re panicking about the IRS crash, you’re probably not alone. Thankfully, there are still ways you can pay.
"Taxpayers should continue filing their taxes as they normally would," Bruce Friedland, an IRS spokesperson, told the New York Times.
And according to the Washington Post, IRS Acting Commissioner David Kautter told the House Oversight Committee that late payments caused by the IRS crash won’t be penalized.
"If we can't solve it today, we'll figure out something," Kautter said. "Taxpayers would not be penalized because of a technical problem the IRS is having."
You can also use other methods to pay what you owe. As CNBC noted, you can still pay with credit or debit card on the IRS site, if you’re willing to also part with a small processing fee. Mailing the IRS a paper check is an option, too.
So if you’re one of the many Americans trying to pay tax today, take a deep breath and try not to worry. Tax season is stressful enough as it is, but we will get through the 2018 IRS crash.
