In the News

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal called on the Internal Revenue Service to extend Tuesday's tax deadline following reports that the agency's online filing system was experiencing technical issues.

Shortly after Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter reportedly told Congress that parts of his agency's website were facing issues in the final hours before the filing deadline, the Springfield Democrat urged IRS officials "to allow an extension so that every taxpayer attempting to file today has a fair shot to do so without penalty."

"We understand that the IRS is experiencing technical difficulties today with the transmission of direct tax return payments, " said Neal, the top Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. "Tax Day is already a stressful time for millions of Americans, even when everything goes right. Given this news, I hope that the IRS will make accommodations so that every taxpayer attempting to file today has a fair shot to do so without penalty."

The congressman reiterated his call on Twitter for the IRS to issue an extension.

Kautter told a congressional committee Tuesday that while he was told "a number of systems are unavailable at the moment" -- including the "direct pay" option -- taxpayers should "continue to file as they normally would," the Washington Post reported. 

The acting IRS commissioner said the agency was struggling to accept returns filed through software like TurboTax and the company H&R Block. He offered that the problem was likely due to internal technical issues, but could not rule out other causes -- including a possible cyberattack, according to the newspaper. 

Kautter reportedly said the IRS would not punish filers whose returns arrive late because of the technical issues. 

"If we can't solve it today we'll figure out a solution," he said, according to the Washington Post. "Taxpayers would not be penalized because of a technical problem the IRS is having."