Warner raises alarm with IRS delays as Virginians wait for economic impact payments, tax returns

There were an estimated 3.3 million pieces of unopened mail – including 1.6 million tax returns – at the four IRS Submission Processing Centers as of Nov. 19.

Taxpayers who do not receive their economic impact payment must claim these funds by filing a tax return. This threatens to further delay needed payments, and poses a particularly burdensome problem for Social Security recipients and other vulnerable populations, who may be forced to file a tax return despite not normally having a tax filing obligation.

Sen. Mark R. Warner has raised concern with the IRS after hearing from an alarming number of Virginians who have yet to receive their second economic impact payment or tax return.

“I am deeply appreciative of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) work during the pandemic. The agency has delivered hundreds of millions of EIPs to Americans, all while managing the risks associated with COVID-19 and the need to protect our public servants at the IRS,”  Sen. Warner wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Charles Commissioner Rettig. “However, while the IRS has made an effort to provide timely and updated information on their website, my constituents continue to be frustrated with their inability to navigate some of the issues that are delaying their tax refunds and their second round of EIPs.”

In his letter, Sen. Warner also stressed the IRS’ responsibility to process individual tax returns and issue refunds as quickly as possible.

• In order to further understand the ongoing situation, Sen. Warner asked for answers to the following series of questions:
• What is the current IRS backlog of paper tax returns and correspondence specifically at the Kansas City, MO location where Virginians’ tax returns are processed? When does the IRS project it will be finished processing the backlog? Can the IRS commit to providing more frequent updates on the backlog?
• As the nation continues to work through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps is the agency taking to prepare for the upcoming tax filing season and to process all returns, whether filed electronically or by U.S. Mail, as quickly as possible?
• For taxpayers who have filed their Forms 1095-A and 8962, when can they expect to have that form processed by the IRS?
• For the second EIP, how many payments have been successfully delivered?  How many payments have been returned to the IRS? Why are some constituents who received the first EIP now having issues accessing the second?

Text of the letter is available here.