IRS Extends Deadline By 1 Day After Technical Glitches Tuesday

<p>Online payments on IRS.gov are partially down. But the government still expects its money. </p>

Tuesday, April 17th 2018, 12:14 pm

By: News 9

IRS Extends Deadline By 1 Day After Technical Glitches Tuesday

Online payments on IRS.gov were partially down Tuesday. The government still expects its money, but the IRS announced Tuesday night that it would give taxpayers one more day to file, according to multiple reports.

Urgent: IRS provides an extra day for taxpayers to file, pay their taxes following system issues. File by midnight, April 18.
— IRS (@IRSnews) April 17, 2018

A page on the IRS website that allows taxpayers to make a payment didn't work for many Tuesday morning. Clicking on "Make a payment" on the payments page redirects the user to a page titled "unplannedOutagePage."

The IRS' "Direct Pay" page redirects to this message on Tuesday morning.

IRS.GOV

"Note that your tax payment is due although IRS Direct Pay may not be available," the page notes.

Twitter was not happy about the development. "The IRS Direct Pay system is down on Tax Day. Oh, government, you fool," one user tweeted.

The IRS Direct Pay system is down on Tax Day. Oh, government, you fool.
— Monica (@Monica_STL) April 17, 2018

Yeah, not good. Now I need to go buy stamps and head to Kinkos to print my returns. Ugh!
— Rick Valenzuela (@Carrier_Pigeon) April 17, 2018

@IRSnews The IRS Direct Pay pages are down and only directs to an "Unplanned outage" page. Paying my taxes while abroad. Will the outage be fixed before the end of April 17?
— Nick Sakellariou (@nicksak) April 17, 2018

Acting Commissioner David Kautter acknowledged the issue Tuesday morning in a House Oversight Committee hearing. "We are working to resolve the issue and taxpayers should continue to file as they normally would," Kautter said.

April 17 was the deadline for Americans to pay any taxes owed to the U.S. Treasury this year. It's also the deadline for business owners and freelancers to pay their estimated taxes for the first quarter of 2018.

While Direct Pay isn't the only way to make a payment, it's one of the few that doesn't cost extra. Paying with a credit card through the IRS' site will cost around 2 percent of the payment amount, starting at $2.50.

To make very clear why I'm furious about the IRS Direct Pay outage: it's likely to divert online payments to for-profit service providers who charge outrageously high fees. To anyone who has to make an estimated tax payment today, write a check if you can.
— Usurper of menfolk (@clofwhoville) April 17, 2018

For taxpayers who use software to file their returns, it's also possible to pay through the tax filing service itself. Tax preparers like TurboTax and H&R Block allow users to set up a link to their bank account to pay taxes due when they're finished filing. However, you'll have to pay to use the software, unless you earn less than $66,000 and take advantage of the Free File portal on the IRS' site.

Taxpayers who are expecting a refund can request a six-month extension to file, but any taxes owed are due by the end of Wednesday.

Jonathan Berr contributed reporting.

Yeah, not good. Now I need to go buy stamps and head to Kinkos to print my returns. Ugh!
— Rick Valenzuela (@Carrier_Pigeon) April 17, 2018

@IRSnews The IRS Direct Pay pages are down and only directs to an "Unplanned outage" page. Paying my taxes while abroad. Will the outage be fixed before the end of April 17?
— Nick Sakellariou (@nicksak) April 17, 2018

To make very clear why I'm furious about the IRS Direct Pay outage: it's likely to divert online payments to for-profit service providers who charge outrageously high fees. To anyone who has to make an estimated tax payment today, write a check if you can.
— Usurper of menfolk (@clofwhoville) April 17, 2018

Taxpayers who are expecting a refund can request a six-month extension to file, but any taxes owed are due by the end of Wednesday.

Jonathan Berr contributed reporting.

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Online payments on IRS.gov are partially down. But the government still expects its money.

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