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- 🚨 Gelt Quick Update - IRS Furloughs Nearly Half Its Staff
🚨 Gelt Quick Update - IRS Furloughs Nearly Half Its Staff
Here’s What It Means for You
Tal Binder
October 10, 2025
Hey,
You may have seen the headlines - the IRS just announced it’s furloughing roughly 34,000 employees, nearly 46% of its staff, as the government shutdown enters its second week.
Here’s what that means for you, your tax filings, and what steps to take next.
Highlights -
Tax deadlines remain in place — October 15 extension filers must still submit and pay on time.
E-filing, online payments, and IRS systems remain active but may process more slowly.
Expect refund and correspondence delays; stay proactive and keep confirmations for all filings.
🧩 What’s Happening
Due to the lapse in federal funding, the IRS has placed nearly half of its workforce on temporary unpaid leave, halting most of its day-to-day operations.
Here’s what’s affected:
☎️ IRS Call Centers & In-Person Help: Taxpayer assistance lines and offices are mostly closed.
🧾 The Taxpayer Advocate Service: Ceasing operations until funding resumes.📬 Mail & Notices: Paper correspondence and notices will likely sit unprocessed for now.
🏛️ Administrative & Planning Functions: Most internal IRS operations are paused.
🗓 Filing Deadlines Still Apply
Even during a government shutdown, tax deadlines do not stop.
If you filed for a six-month extension on your 2024 taxes, your return is still due October 15.
✅ You should continue to:
File electronically (returns are still being timestamped and accepted)
Pay any balance due through IRS.gov or EFTPS
Keep all confirmation receipts for your records
⚙️ What’s Still Running
Despite the furloughs, about 40,000 IRS employees remain on the job handling critical functions, such as:
Processing e-filed returns and payments
Preparing for the 2025 filing season
Maintaining systems tied to the Social Security Administration and Treasury operations
Electronic systems - including e-filing, online payments, and transcripts - remain operational, though you may experience slower processing times.
💡 What This Means for You
Here’s what to expect over the coming weeks:
⏳ Delays in refunds and correspondence: Paper filings, amended returns, and notice responses will take longer.
⚖️ No pause on penalties or interest: Payment deadlines and compliance timelines still apply.
💬 Limited communication: IRS representatives are unavailable until funding resumes.
🧠 Stay proactive: Keep filing and paying as usual to avoid future complications.
🧭 Our Take: Stay the Course
While this shutdown is frustrating, it’s temporary. Think of it as a slowdown, not a stop.
Your filings, payments, and records remain secure - they just may take a little longer to process.
We’ll continue to monitor IRS updates daily and will notify you immediately of any changes to deadlines, payment relief options, or service restorations.
If you have a refund pending, an extension due next week, or an open IRS case, please reply to this email or reach out to your Gelt advisor directly.
We’re here to make sure your filings stay compliant and your peace of mind stays intact.
Stay calm, stay proactive, and we’ll guide you through it.
Best,
Tal Binder, Founder
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