MISSOURI — The IRS plans to lay off about half of its workforce due to the government shutdown, potentially affecting taxpayers who have yet to file their taxes.

The layoffs would result in 34,000 IRS agents being out of work, coinciding with the tax filing deadline for those who requested an extension last year, which is October 15th.

Kelli Hodges, owner of Accurate Tax Services, says it already can take hours to get the IRS on the phone. The layoffs would make that wait time even longer.

"If we lay off half the workforce, I'm good luck with ever getting the IRS to answer the phone," said Hodges, "And if you have a tax issue, how are you supposed to get that taken care of if no one ever answers the phone?"

The layoffs could also impact the IRS's ability to process mailed tax forms, wh

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