A government shutdown that forces the IRS to furlough employees would seriously disrupt the 2026 filing season and harm taxpayers, the AICPA cautioned Thursday in a letter urging the agency to maintain full operations. Although the IRS shut down once previously during the April filing season, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never experienced a lapse in appropriations in April, the AICPA said. In addition to the pandemic closure, a government shutdown occurred in 2019, ending just before the start of tax season, the letter said. Full staffing during any shutdown “is critical not only for a successful filing season but for a filing season that does not create additional tax administrative problems, harm taxpayers, condense practitioner workload, and further engross the IRS in backlogs for years to come,” the letter said. AICPA RESOURCENavigating the Government Shutdown— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Martha Waggoner at Martha.Waggoner@aicpa-cima.com.