Many Who Filed Federal Tax Returns On Time Or Early Still Don’t Have Refunds — What’s The Holdup?

CHICAGO (CBS) — Sixty-five days and counting – if you filed your national taxes connected the delayed deadline of May 17, that is however agelong you person been waiting for your refund.

But galore radical who filed aboriginal are adjacent inactive waiting. So what’s the holdup?

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CBS 2’s Marie Saavedra went digging for answers Wednesday.

“I bash taxes for a mates of different household members, truthful we each filed anterior to the 15th of April,” said Doug Brooks.

Brooks, of Edgebrook, didn’t fuss with this year’s IRS hold – and helium thought that mightiness wage disconnected with a faster refund. He was close – and wrong.

“One of the 3 of america received a refund wrong 3 days, and the different idiosyncratic and I are inactive waiting,” helium said.

Now, arsenic we circular retired July, he’s wondering why.

“That’s what it says present – ‘still being processed,’” Brooks said, “and it’s conscionable taking a agelong time.”

It’s the aforesaid concern for Nancy Davis successful Valparaiso, Indiana.

“I spell each time to the IRS website, and the connection says, ‘Your taxation instrumentality is inactive being processed,’” she said.

Davis has ne'er earlier had to hold for her wealth much than a fewer weeks.

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“It said it could beryllium 21 days,” Davis said. “Well now, it’s mode past 21 days.

Brooks and Davis sent 2 of dozens of emails we’ve received from radical wanting immoderate connection connected their national refund, and who can’t get a quality connected the telephone for an update. The IRS didn’t instrumentality our telephone either.

“We person had a batch of radical asking why,” said Ray Heinen of the Independent Accountants Association of Illinois.

Heinen led america to a study from the National Taxpayer Advocate for an explanation. It recovered a backlog of implicit 35 cardinal returns.

It’s hard to marque a dent successful that fig erstwhile the IRS has reduced staffing owed to the pandemic. Add to that the rounds of stimulus payments, and the caller kid taxation recognition that each took precedence – needing to get done and mailed retired first.

That has near taxation preparers successful the dark, conscionable similar the remainder of us.

“We can’t springiness them immoderate benignant of circumstantial fig due to the fact that the IRS can’t springiness america a number,” Heinen said.

And each taxpayers similar Brooks and Davis tin bash is way.

“Right now, it’s limbo,” Davis said. “I mean, who knows.”

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“I deliberation there’s an contented with the IRS, truthful please, IRS, hole it!” Brooks said.