Yes, it’s that time of year. People celebrate a variety of holidays – Christmas. Hanukkah. Kwanzaa. The IRS System Maintenance Window.
OK, so the last one isn’t a true holiday … especially if you are an IRS employee performing the system maintenance. The IRS system maintenance window is important, though. The IRS shuts down various systems as we transition from one calendar year to another. Here are some of the practical impacts of the IRS System Maintenance Window.
Modernized e-File System (MeF)
The MeF handles personal and business tax returns, in some instances. Both sides will be down for maintenance.
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Personal– Closed: November – January 19th. Last year, late approval of tax extenders delayed the reopening. This year, the approval came sooner than the week before the end of the year. The IRS will begin accepting personal returns on January 19, 2016.
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Business – Closed: December 26th – mid-January. A variety of forms go through the MeF on the business side – 2290, 94x Series, 1120 Series, 7004, 8868, 1065, and many more.
Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE)
The FIRE System handles text file bulk uploads for many forms, including: the 1099 series, the 1098, the 1042-S, the 3921, and the 3922. The FIRE system maintenance period began on December 11, 2015, and will end on January 19, 2016. The IRS will not accept any FIRE System filings until 8 a.m. EST on January 19, 2016.
What The IRS System Maintenance Window Means to Me
Acceptance of forms submitted during the maintenance window will be delayed.
Truckers and brokers will get the Schedule 1 from their ez2290.com filing once the IRS opens MeF again.
94x Series filers will see a delay as well.
1099 filers using Tax1099.com don’t need to worry about the maintenance window. We schedule all forms to e-File on March 31. The IRS will be open to receive the forms well before then. Submit, pay, and plan for vendor form delivery. You’ll be able to make edits to the forms until the scheduled date. This gives you more flexibility than having to file a corrected form to make any changes.
Merry IRS Maintenance Window!
Whether you celebrate the IRS Maintenance Window, or one of the more traditional holidays … we hope your season is full of warmth, joy, family, and friends.