If the government shutdown is not resolved soon, federal tax refunds will be delayed.

CNBC reports the IRS has not yet released a contingency plan for the upcoming filing season, but in the event of a prolonged shutdown “income tax refunds could be delayed and the agency could be short on staff to answer taxpayers’ questions.”

An IRS spokesperson would not speculate on how long the shutdown would have to last in order to result in a delay of refunds,

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Account James Gundersdorff, who is licensed by the U.S. Treasury to operate in all 50 states, told WPVI-TV the shutdown is “a huge deal” regarding tax refunds.

"A lot of people do have a lot of money sitting on the table and they will not get that money any time soon," Gundersdorff said.

Only about 12 percent of IRS staff are expected to continue working through a shutdown, according to CNBC.

A recent

shows Americans are most likely to use their tax refunds to pay off debt.