Server crash brings IRS e-file system down, but not for long

Ready to get your tax return money so you can blow it on a new 4K TV? We don’t blame you, but unfortunately, there’s been a minor obstruction in the way of filing those tax returns electronically due to a server crash over at the Internal Revenue Service. This report stems from the Associated Press, which writes that while the system interruption may have an adverse effect on refunds, the IRS doesn’t expect “major disruptions.”

While the agency reports that it’s still determining the extent of the outage, the IRS doesn’t expect anything drastic to come out of this. Administrators over at the IRS say they “continue to expect that 9 out 0f 10 taxpayers will receive their refunds within 21 days.”

Last month, the IRS revealed that families with incomes not exceeding $62,000 would be eligible for “free brand-name” software as part of the service’s Free File program.

The IRS notably managed to put new security measures in place in a collaborative effort with its 13 tax software partners to combat fraud last year. This move follows in the wake of an unsettling breach, allegedly perpetrated by Russian hackers last May, which left the personal data of 100,000 taxpayers out in the open.

Auspiciously, you can still file a return — even of the electronic variety — if you so choose. Tax returns are typically submitted to third-party providers, such as Intuit and H&R Block, or to other representatives of the Free File alliance, before being issued to the government. The problem is that, since yesterday, the system malfunction has prevented the tax return files from reaching the IRS.

Taken as a whole, the news seems to indicate that anyone who has already filed their taxes will emerge from this setback entirely unscathed.