IRS E-File system crashes on Tax Day [Updated]

Enlarge / The IRS' electronic filing system is down in the heat of Tax Day. Carry on.

Update, 5:00 PM EDT: The IRS has restored service to its e-file system this afternoon. Our original story continues below.

At midday on the busiest day of the year for the Internal Revenue Service's electronic tax-filing infrastructure, the Modernized eFile (MeF) system has gone offline. Acting IRS commissioner David Kautter informed members of the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform during a hearing at 10:00am ET that a number of systems associated with tax filings were down and that the IRS is working to resolve the issue. As of 2:15pm, a status message on the IRS' MeF site still read, "The MeF System is currently down. We are working this as a priority."

An IRS spokesperson told Ars via email, "Currently, certain IRS systems are experiencing technical difficulties. Taxpayers should continue filing their tax returns as they normally would."

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