Prepare yourself, American taxpayers, for tax season begins on Monday. They can expect the process to be more difficult than usual this year. It is due to an IRS workforce that is overworked and underfunded and issues from pandemic-related activities.
IRS Massive Backlogs Cause Delays
The IRS has “unacceptable backlogs,” according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, and the customer service citizens are getting isn’t what the American public deserves. There will be a lot of new issues to explore this year, for example, people who are qualified for the child tax credit and have received advance payments year round may earn a smaller reimbursement than they would normally see, Fox 13 posted.
This filing season, an IRS personnel shortfall, an increased workload from administering pandemic-related programs, and delayed legislation that would have given the agency billions of cash to process returns more quickly will all cause taxpayers anguish.
Service May Not Be the Same
In 2022, Donald Williamson, a professor of accounting and taxation at American University in Washington, predicts “weeks and weeks” of IRS delays.
Officials from the agency have already issued a warning to filers. However, they cannot provide the level of service and enforcement that taxpayers and the tax system deserve and require in many regions. Earlier last month, IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig phrased it like this: Reviewing delays are to be expected, especially since the IRS says it is still processing 2020 tax returns, the Herald Star wrote.
As of the most recent IRS data, the IRS processed over 240 million tax returns. Plus, they issued nearly $736 billion in refunds for the 2020 budget year. It includes $268 billion in stimulus payments. 59.5 million people called or visited an IRS office within the same period.
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