ATHENS —  The IRS shut down early today after its computer crashed. They opened at 1 p.m. and only stayed open for about 30 minutes before having to turn away people for entering.

Grady Newsource reporter Brian Garcia will be live in front of the IRS office right at 5 p.m. with more.

The people of Athens have other options though. Hancock Community Development in Athens is a non-profit who is doing people’s taxes for free. At 5 p.m. we talked to the director of the program who says next year the services will no longer be free.

The Internal Revenue Services has had to make many staff and budget cuts. Part of the budget cuts is a decrease in phone representatives.

People with questions about their taxes are having a harder time getting answers. Some IRS agencies, such as the Athens branch, have even cut out phone service altogether.