IRS experiencing computer failures, can’t process many tax returns

The IRS cannot accept many tax returns because of broad computer failure across “several” systems.

In a statement Wednesday evening, the IRS said it had “experienced a hardware failure” and said it was still trying to determine the scope of the problem.

“Several of our systems are not currently operating, including our modernized e-file system and a number of other related systems,” the IRS said, though it added that IRS.gov and “a number of the services … including Where’s My Refund” were not affected.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether this was a temporary glitch, a long-term or possible-recurring issue, or a cyberattack on the unpopular taxation service.

The IRS statement acknowledged that repairs are likely to keep at least some of the agency’s electronic services offline until Thursday.

Still, the IRS said, “we continue to expect that nine out of 10 taxpayers will receive their refunds within 21 days.”