Computer Problems Shut Down Tax Return E-file System

The IRS has stopped accepting electronically filed tax returns because of problems with some of its computer systems.

While this temporary outage could affect refunds, the IRS doesn't foresee any "major disruptions".

Wednesday, the IRS experienced a “hardware failure.” The e-file system and the “where’s my refund” service have both been affected.

Systems will remain out of service at least through some time Thursday.

Taxpayers can still send electronic returns to companies like TurboTax, but those companies will have to hold on to those returns until the systems are running properly again.