Here's how the government shutdown affects US tax filing extensions

The U.S.government may be partially shut down with no apparent end in sight, but the taxman never rests.

According to Internal Revenue Service guidelines , taxpayers who requested an extension by the April 15 tax filing due date will have until Wednesday, Oct. 15 to file without penalties - regardless of a shutdown entering its second week.

Although the IRS confirmed over 34,000 employees — nearly half of its staff — were furloughed Oct. 8, the agency’s shutdown contingency plan keeps some customer service agents at work.

“During a government shutdown, there could be impacts to IRS services,” Elizabeth Young, director for tax practice and ethics with the American Institute of CPAs, told CNBC. “However, electronic filing systems typically remain operational, so you can still