Blog: IRS will pay tax refunds during government shutdown, official says – Los Angeles Times

The decision will come as a relief to many taxpayers who file their taxes as soon as the filing season begins to claim their refund checks, which averaged $2,899 last year. Within the first week of the 2018 filing season, more than 18.3 million people claimed about $12.6 billion in refunds. The IRS hasn’t yet announced the start date to file tax returns this year, but says it’s on track to begin in late January or early February.