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IRS delays start of tax season due to government shutdown

Here's more fallout from the government's partial shutdown: Early tax filers will have to wait an extra week or two to get tax refunds next year.

The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday it will delay the start of next year's filing season by up to two weeks to give programmers time to finish updating the agency's computers. The 16-day shutdown interrupted their work. The April 15 deadline for filing individual tax returns remains unchanged. 

The filing season had been set to start Jan. 21. Acting IRS commissioner Danny Werfel said the agency is working to shorten the delay and will announce the exact start date in December.

The delay will affect early filers, many of whom rush their returns to the IRS so they can quickly get refunds.