2018 income tax refunds will go out on time despite government shutdown

WASHINGTON -- A Trump administration official says income tax refunds for 2018 will go out on time during the partial government shutdown because rules will be changed to make funding available to pay them.

Russell Vought, acting director of the White House budget office, tells reporters: "The refunds will go out as normal. There is an indefinite appropriation to pay tax refunds."

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The IRS may recall a large number of furloughed employees to process returns - probably without pay - in accordance with its contingency plans. But with the shutdown in its third week, concern was growing that hundreds of billions of dollars in refunds would be delayed until the shutdown ends because funding for them wouldn't be available.

Vought says the administration is changing the customary rules "from past administrations."