Over the past year, refund delays on paper-filed returns have generally exceeded six months, with delays of 10 months or more common for many taxpayers.
National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins said in her report that the IRS backlog this year is 21.3 million paper returns, 7 percent more than the 20 million that were awaiting processing at the same time last year.
Washington (CNN) The Internal Revenue Service will finally get through the massive pandemic-induced backlog of federal tax returns filed in 2021 this week, the agency said on Tuesday. But more than twice as many returns filed in 2022 still await processing compared with a typical year at this point.
The IRS continues to work on the few remaining 2021 individual tax returns that have processing issues or require additional information from the taxpayer. As of June 10, the IRS had processed more than 4.5 million of the more than 4.7 million individual paper tax returns received in 2021.
Status of Processing Form 1040-X, Amended Individual Tax Return: As of April 30, 2022, we had 2.3 million unprocessed Forms 1040-X. We are processing these returns in the order received and are working hard to get through the inventory. The current timeframe can be more than 20 weeks instead of up to 16.
The agency is still trying to catch up on a backlog because of the pandemic. “It's taking us longer than normal to process mailed correspondence and more than 21 days to issue refunds for certain mailed and e-filed 2020 tax returns that require review,” the agency said.
Your refund may be delayed if you made math errors or if you forgot to sign your return or include your Social Security number. It may also be delayed if your dependents' information doesn't match IRS records, or if you left out a corresponding schedule or form to support a deduction or credit, says Pickering.
If you're still waiting on your tax refund, it's possible that your tax return is taking longer for the IRS to process because it requires additional review. There are several reasons why your tax return may be delayed: Errors such as an incomplete filing status. Missing information.
The IRS is making progress on its backlog of unprocessed tax returns, but millions remain, the agency said Tuesday. As of June 10, there were 11 million pending individual returns, including filings received before 2022 and new 2021 returns, according to the IRS.
The IRS backlog of tax returns has swelled over the past year, despite efforts to clear the pileup, according to an agency watchdog. There were 21.3 million unprocessed paper returns as of May 31, up from 20 million one year prior, the Taxpayer Advocate Service shared in its midyear report to Congress.
Many taxpayers who filed paper returns in 2021 got caught in the backlog and reported waiting six months and longer to receive their refunds. The IRS acknowledged Tuesday: "To date, more than twice as many returns await processing compared to a typical year at this point in the calendar year."
Some of the reasons are: you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit and/or an Additional Child Tax Credit (if you claim either of these credits, the PATH Act requires processing to be delayed), you filed Form 8379 (Injured Spouse Allocation), you have a refund offset, the IRS found errors, inconsistencies, or missing ...
This means the IRS has your tax return and is processing it. Your personalized refund date will be available as soon as the IRS finishes processing your return and confirms that your refund has been approved. Most refunds are issued in less than 21 days.
The IRS will issue most refunds in less than 21 calendar days. Even though the IRS will issue most refunds in less than 21 days, it's possible that your refund has been delayed because it is stuck in processing.
As the return is processed, whether it was filed electronically or on paper, it may be delayed because it has a mistake including errors concerning the Recovery Rebate Credit, missing information, or suspected identity theft or fraud. If we can fix it without contacting you, we will.
If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS corrects any issues and/or gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return.
It is also taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue refunds for some tax returns that require review including incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit amounts, or that used 2019 income to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
COVID-19 Processing Delays
It's taking us longer than normal to process mailed correspondence and more than 21 days to issue refunds for certain mailed and e-filed 2020 tax returns that require review. Thank you for your patience. The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days.
If your tax return status is "Still Being Processed" your tax return could be essentially on hold until the IRS corrects any issues and/or gets the additional information from you to continue processing your return.
The IRS reports that most returns are processed and approved within a few days of when they are received, and most refunds are issued less than 21 days after the return is received. If you filed weeks ago and still haven't received your return, there could be several reasons why you're experiencing a delay.
First, they look for things like back taxes and unpaid child support. If they find any debts, they'll offset (reduce) your refund to cover the outstanding amount. Once they are satisfied that you have no outstanding debts, they will approve and then issue your refund.
That may make taxpayers nervous about delays in 2022, but most Americans should get their refunds within 21 days of filing, according to the IRS. And some taxpayers are already reporting receiving their refunds, according to posts on social media.
If you have the “Being Processed” message The “being processed” message is a good sign. If you are seeing this message most likely your tax return is done processing and your waiting for your tax refund to be approved.
If you haven't received your tax refund after at least 21 days of filing online or six weeks of mailing your paper return, go to a local IRS office or call the federal agency (check out our list of IRS phone numbers that could get you help faster).