More residents say they haven’t had their IRS issues resolved in over a year

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    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — Several people, who filed their returns last year by paper, have reached out to News 4 saying that they have not received their refund or their stimulus check.

If you think you’re the only one still waiting on a tax refund or stimulus check, you’re not alone.

After watching News4’s story last week about a Midstate woman having trouble getting her refund issues resolved, Jennifer Judkins from Bellevue contacted our News4 Call 4 Action team.

“My mother and my daughter were sitting there when it started coming on–and before they saw the lady–she looked at my daughter and she said, ‘Is this your mom’s story? Did she call Channel 4?” Judkins said.

Judkins said she’s still waiting on a call from Uncle Sam about why her tax refund still hasn’t been processed after waiting a year.

“Which tells me that there’s a lot of people out there, they’ve got to having this same issue,” Judkins said.

Like Jerri Evans, Judkins hasn’t received her refund or stimulus check. Judkins hasn’t received her refund or stimulus check. She said her problem started when she filed her 2018 taxes electronically in 2019.

“They sent me a letter saying that I had to verify my identity–so, I sent everything in that they told me to send in. I did the full process they told me to do,” Judkins said.

Even after that, she said the IRS still hasn’t processed her information.

“So as of now, I can’t. I haven’t gotten a return for last year, and I won’t get one for this year. They’ll reject last year and this year until that 2018 issue is resolved,” Judkins said.

News 4 has heard from several people on social media in the same boat. Because of that, we contacted the IRS again.

IRS response:

“The IRS is now opening mail within normal timeframes. The IRS has also made significant progress in processing prior year returns. As of March 26, 2021, we had 2 million individual tax returns received prior to 2021 in the processing pipeline. Including current year returns, as of March 26, 2021, we had 16.5 million unprocessed individual returns in the pipeline. Unprocessed returns include those requiring correction to the Recovery Rebate Credit amount or validation of 2019 income used to figure the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Advance Child Tax Credit (ACTC). This work does not require us to correspond with taxpayers but does require special handling by an IRS employee so, in these instances, it is taking the IRS more than 21 days to issue any related refund. If, as a result, a correction is made to any RRC, EITC or ACTC claimed on the return, the IRS will send taxpayers an explanation. Taxpayers are encouraged to continue to check Where’s My Refund? for their personalized refund status and can review Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions.

While the majority of 2019 refund returns have been processed, in some cases, we are processing tax returns that were mailed with a payment even though payment associated with these returns have been processed by the IRS. However, we are rerouting tax returns and taxpayer correspondence from locations that are behind to locations where more staff is available, and we are taking other actions to minimize any delays. Tax returns are opened in the order received. As the return is processed, it may be delayed because it has a mistake including errors concerning the Recovery Rebate Credit, is missing information, or there is suspected identity theft or fraud. If we can fix it without contacting you, we will. If we need more information or need you to verify that it was you who sent the tax return, we will write you a letter. The resolution of these issues depends on how quickly and accurately you respond, and the ability of IRS staff trained and working under social distancing requirements to complete the processing of your return.

If you filed on paper, check Where’s my refund? If it tells you we have received your return or are processing or reviewing it, we are processing your return, but it may be under review. We’re working hard to get through the backlog. Please don’t file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.

E-filing your 2020 tax return: To e-file you will need to enter your AGI from your tax year 2019 tax return. If your 2019 return has not yet been processed, you may enter $ 0 (zero) as your prior year Adjusted Gross Income. If you used the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool last year to register for an Economic Impact Payment, enter “$1” as your prior year AGI. See Claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit if you aren’t required to file a tax return.”

But Judkins says she’s waited and communicated everything with the IRS, and nothing’s changed. She wants her money.

“There’s got to be a better way to communicate with them. Because we’re just sitting here, there’s nothing we can do,” Judkins said.

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