IRS grants a reprieve after payment site fails
Last-minute taxpayers unable to file their 2017 tax returns online because of an Internal Revenue Service computer problem received some welcome news late Tuesday: An extension is on the way.
Last-minute taxpayers unable to file their returns online because of an IRS computer problem got some welcome news Tuesday: You will now have until midnight Wednesday.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gave that assurance, later confirmed by the IRS, which he oversees.
“We’ll make sure taxpayers have extensions once the system comes up to make sure they can use it, and it in no way impacts people paying their taxes,” Mnuchin told reporters in New Hampshire, The Associated Press reported.
“It was just a technical issue we’re working through.”
As of 5:05 p.m. ET, the IRS’ site appeared to be working again after being down much of Tuesday.
The glitch affected the tax agency’s Direct Pay system, which lets people pay an estimate of taxes directly from their bank account free of charge.
Earlier in the day, hours before the Tuesday deadline, those trying to pay through this method were greeted with an error message that said: “This service is temporarily unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue.
“Please come back later and try again, or you can visit the Make a Payment page for alternative payment methods. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
The IRS website then noted that “your tax payment is due although IRS Direct Pay may not be available.”
Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter faced the unenviable position of alerting taxpayers and Congress to the embarrassing problem when he testified at a Tax Day hearing on Tuesday before the House Subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits and Administrative Rules.
“On my way over here this morning, I was told that a number of IRS systems are unavailable at the moment,” Kautter said during his opening statement.
The IRS has faced computer problems in the past, including a 2015 cyberhacking incident that potentially gained access to personal data from more than 700,000 taxpayer accounts.
The information put at risk included Social Security numbers, birth dates and other data that cyber thieves could use to impersonate a real taxpayer, file a false federal tax return and collect a refund.
In the hacking case, the unidentified attackers got in by taking taxpayer information they acquired elsewhere and using it to correctly answer personal identity-verification questions.
At least seven federal audits and other reports about the IRS and computers from 2007 to 2014 outlined dangers that included everything from failures in database controls to hiring an ex-con without a background check and failing to screen for other workers who had access to personal data for millions of taxpayers.