If the budget standoff in Washington leads to a government shutdown, you may not get your tax refund as soon as expected.
If the government does shut down, the IRS probably will suspend processing tax refunds for people who file paper returns, a government official familiar with planning for the shutdown said Tuesday. About 30 percent of taxpayers file by paper.
All taxpayers still will be required to file or seek an extension by midnight April 18, even though processing of some refunds would be suspended. Electronic filing and refund processing would continue as normal, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because plans for a possible shutdown are still in flux.
(Yes, taxes are due April 18 this year because April 15 is a holiday in the District of Columbia.)
A partial government shutdown could happen at midnight Friday if Republicans and Democrats can't come to an agreement.
The Internal Revenue Service referred questions about refunds to the Treasury Department, which declined comment.
UPDATE: The NBC Nightly News' John Yang ticks down the list of what other services could be affected in the video below.