For those that may be sweating bullets trying to meet the IRS Tax deadline of April 15, 2021, the IRS has extended the deadline to mid-May. The IRS has a backlog of 24 million returns that have required processing since 2019.
Patrick O’ Conor is still awaiting his 2019 and 2020 tax refunds and stimulus payments totaling $16,000. Lawmakers are counting on the IRS to administer the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan accompanied by the third round of $1,400 stimulus payment that went into many bank account Wednesday, March 17.
Delays are keeping cash-strapped Americans nationwide from benefitting from other programs that Congress initiated to dull the pandemic’s economic blow. The agency wage and investment division commissioner Ken Corbin said
The situation reflects the many, many challenges the country and agency have faced because of the virus and other more recent obstacles, including inclement weather that slowed its operations.
Conversations by democrats expressing a need for changes to be made at the IRS. The recent stimulus package includes billions of dollars to modernize the agency. Lawmakers argue that a more permanent resolution is necessary to avert a backlog such as this from ever happening in the future.
Earlier this year, the agency experienced technical glitches that derailed its online portal. The shortage of staff limits taxpayers calling the IRS from speaking to someone getting their tax questions answered.
David from the IRS has just confirmed that the extension deadline for filing 2021 income tax returns has been extended to May 17.
Written by Omari Jahi
Sources
CNBC: IRS pushes April 15 U.S. tax deadline to May 15, Ylan Mui & Carmen Reinicke
Bloomberg: IRS to Delay Tax Deadline to Mid-May After Chaotic Year, Allyson Versprille, Laura Davison, and Saleha Mohsin
Washington Post: IRS expected to push filing deadline to mid-May as the agency grapples with a backlog of returns, Tony Romm and Jeff Stein
Feature and Top Image Courtesy of Ken Lund’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
The Biden administration fears that the IRS’s long un-resolved challenges may undercut their economic recovery plans. Prior coronavirus stimulus checks have not been delivered to millions of Americans due to current distribution payments Wednesday under the $1.9 trillion stimulus.