Steven Balsam, an accounting professor and senior Merves Research Fellow at Temple's Fox School of Business, says that, the end of the shutdown does not necessarily mean smooth sailing for tax payers.
"I would never use the term 'smooth sailing,'" he said. "This year, even without the shutdown, it was going to be difficult, because we have a greatly overhauled tax code. And the shutdown only compounded the problem."
He says the IRS would have been working diligently over the last month to ensure a smooth transition to the new tax code, but it lost that time.
His best advice for anyone getting their tax information together: File soon.
"Many, many people tend to file early, because they get refunds. So if you are getting a refund, that is one reason to file as early as possible," he said.
Despite that, Balsam says, he still thinks there will be a lot of computer errors, just because of the new tax rules and the learning curve for tax preparers.