GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – With the government shutdown now in day 14, there is a growing concern about what federal services and programs will be affected.
As many of you prepare for tax season with the hopes of getting a refund, there are some factors you should keep in mind.
If the government shutdown doesn’t end in the next couple of weeks, it could take the IRS longer to process your tax returns.
“The only thing that will really be affected are people’s refunds which are crucial. This is the time where people want to get their W-2’s right away and file to get their refunds so that’s the biggest concern with the shutdown,” said Walter Klima, the owner of Absolute Tax and Accounting and De Pere.
With only 12% of IRS employees still working there’s no telling just how long services could be delayed.
Klima tells FOX 11 it could have a huge impact on families and business who rely on that extra money.
“It’s either to pay on bills or to use on investments and put it away. Business put it aside and invest it back in their business, put it in retirement funds for their employees.”
While some departments are being affected, others say they’re not.
Erik Pritzl, the Executive Director of Human Services in Brown County, tells FOX 11 they’re going about business as usual.
“Right now nothing is affected. We have a relationship with the state where they will give us guidance should this continue and there are problems. They would decide what benefit changes they would want to make as a result of the shutdown.”
Pritzl says if the state were to make changes to services and programs, they would most likely be minimal.
“Food share would be a concern, some housing programs with urban housing and development, but those programs actually fall under a different department than us,” he said.
A projection from Morgan Stanley, a financial services company, says the average 2019 refund is expected to be 26% higher than 2018’s.
Even if the shutdown continues, taxes must be filed by April 15.
