The Messenger, IRS Computer Snarl Could Threaten Millions of Taxpayers as Filing Season Is About to Open:

A computer snarl has hit the Internal Revenue Service just as the filing season is set to open, with the agency saying Friday that some payroll providers, banks, mortgage companies and accountants have been unable to upload required tax documents.

The problem, a login issue with an upgraded IRS computer system, is affecting some companies that file forms used to report taxable income earned by independent contractors. It's also impacting banks issuing statements of interest income and retirement account distributions, corporations reporting dividends received by shareholders, and government agencies issuing tax refunds, the IRS said in an email midday Friday.

In a statement dated Friday and posted on the IRS’s website on Saturday, the agency acknowledged what it called “confusion” for some payroll providers and the like in uploading the documents. The statement, which said the IRS was “not having widespread system issues in advance of Monday's filing season opening,” added that the uploading issue was “not a widespread issue affecting taxpayers,” but didn’t provide details.