Taxpayer Advocate Service – 10 Most Serious Problems Encountered by Taxpayers

Problem #6: DENTITY THEFT (Part I)

Taxpayer Advocate Service – 10 Most Serious Problems Encountered by Taxpayers

Problem #6: DENTITY THEFT (Part I)

WHY THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR TAXPAYERS

Individuals who are victims of tax-related identity theft are waiting an average of nearly 19 months for the IRS to process their returns and send their refunds. Yes, you read that correctly: for many victims, that’s more than a year and a half !

During the pandemic, the IRS’s policy decisions to prioritize other areas (such as shuffling employees to answer telephone lines) contributed to these unreasonable processing delays that continued throughout 2023 and are expected to continue into 2024.

But there is a second group of taxpayers also harmed. Each year, the IRS flags millions of returns for potential identity theft. Taxpayers who have filed legitimate returns deal with inadequate notices and difficulties authenticating their identity. Until a taxpayer completes authentication, the IRS cannot process their tax return or send their refund

For more information on this problem, please see the Taxpayers Advocacy Web page (www.TaxpayerAdvocate.irs.gov)

Next week Tuesday Tax Tip will continue the discussion on Problem #6: Identity Theft

(www.TaxpayerAdvocate.irs.gov) (TTT 120324)