Its Form 1040 backlog at the end of May stood at 8.2 million, with millions more paper tax returns not yet classified or expected to arrive before the extended filing deadline of October 15.
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.
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.
Around 75 percent of filers get refunds every year, Tulino said, and as of December, more than 6 million people were still waiting for refunds for their individual returns for the previous year.
In general, the IRS issues refunds within a few weeks to a month. Paper returns take longer than electronically filed returns, even if there are no mistakes or issues. Before the pandemic, someone who filed a return by paper might wait four to six weeks for a refund.
What's Taking So Long? If you don't receive your refund in 21 days, your tax return might need further review. This may happen if your return was incomplete or incorrect. The IRS may send you instructions through the mail if it needs additional information in order to process your return.
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.
During the pandemic, the IRS accumulated a historic backlog of returns. At the end of 2021, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins said 6.2 million individual returns remain unprocessed.
The IRS went into the 2022 filing season with roughly 8 million unprocessed returns received in 2021, according to a Treasury Department official. By earlier this month, the agency still needed to push through roughly 200,000 individual paper returns received last year.
An incomplete return, an inaccurate return, an amended return, tax fraud, claiming tax credits, owing certain debts for which the government can take part or all of your refund, and sending your refund to the wrong bank due to an incorrect routing number are all reasons that a tax refund can be delayed.
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.
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.
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."
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.
IRS is making progress on tax return backlog, but millions remain unprocessed — including 11 million individual returns.
But the IRS is still processing paper returns and has an "unprecedented" backlog of over 21 million returns, as well as returns with suspected errors or identity theft to get through, reports Erin Collins, the national taxpayer advocate.
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).
Backlog of Unprocessed Paper Tax Returns
Before the pandemic, the IRS typically delivered refunds to paper-filers within four to six weeks. 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.
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 ...
The IRS issues more than 9 out of 10 refunds in less than 21 days. However, it's possible your tax return may require additional review and take longer.
If you still aren't sure what happened with your refund, contact an IRS representative at IRS Tax Help Line for Individuals – 800-829-1040 (TTY/TDD 800-829-4059).
The IRS says people filing electronically, and making no errors, should see a refund within 21 days or less after filing if they're supposed to get one. Those filing on paper or making a mistake should see an estimated wait that could stretch 90 to 120 days, if not longer.
If you file a complete and accurate paper tax return, your refund should be issued in about six to eight weeks from the date IRS receives your return. If you file your return electronically, your refund should be issued in less than three weeks, even faster when you choose direct deposit.
Tracking the status of a tax refund is easy with the Where's My Refund? tool. It's available anytime on IRS.gov or through the IRS2Go App. Taxpayers can start checking their refund status within 24 hours after an e-filed return is received.
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.