irs refund extensive delay. Is this the new norm
I am having a big problem with the IRS regarding my 2023 tax refund.
I submitted my return electronically on February 8, 2024, through a CPA firm who has done my taxes for over 20 years. The return was double checked with the CPA firm before submission. I waited the usual 21 days for my refund and did not receive it as I had in past years. I waited a few more weeks and checked with my CPA to see if they were aware of are issues. They were not any they knew of except due to my refund amount the IRS may be checking to make sure it was not a scam refund. I finally managed to contact someone at IRS to see what is going on (this was not easy as I kept being told to the website which is useless). After finally talking to someone at IRS I was informed they were in fact checking my identity and I would receive a letter for requested information. I finally received a letter on March 5 asking me to call and confirm my identity. I completed the identity check on March 10 and was told all was OK and I would receive my refund in 9 weeks (which is nuts). After receiving assurance by the IRS person that all was OK, I waited. The nine weeks was up on May 24, 2024, and still no refund.
I contacted the IRS to find out what is going on with refund on May 28,2024, as the website again was useless. I was informed by the IRS personnel that my return was under review and that the review take up to 180 days (6 months). I informed the IRS person that I needed the refund and was informed they were sorry and could not get any information on review or status of refund will be available. The IRS suggested I talk to my tax preparer to make sure nothing was wrong. I did have 2 of their CPA’s review return and I was informed everything looked OK.
As of May 31, I have received no other information about the status of my refund, and it appears I can only wait until November to see if I receive my refund or will again be “held” up on my refund for yet another reason.
I am passing this along to you so you can inform others of the possibility of the IRS withholding refunds with no recourse from the taxpayer except to wait in bureaucratic lines. If the situation was reversed and I owed the IRS I would be hounded for immediate payment or else. I do not have that option in my case. Thank you for reading this. Any suggestions for resolving this would be appreciated.
I greatly appreciate the help you have given me through your newspaper and radio advice thru the years. Please continue your great work. We need a voice of reason and that’s the Savage truth.
Terry Says
Ugh, I’m sorry to hear this. It’s why I wrote this column recently:
Where’s My Refund? – Terry Savage
And this “identity verification” has raised delays to an entirely new level.
Have you tried all the remedies and tricks in this column? At that point, I have no further way to help you — although I did list info for the Taxpayer Advocate’s office.
But I can tell you this is the second question along these lines I have answered just in the past 15 minutes of reading and answering questions. Yes, something strange is going on. And I’ll bet they say it’s “budget cuts”!!!
