If your hopes and dreams turned to anxiety in the unprecedented backlog at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you're not alone. Before the United States Senate Committee on Finance on February 17, 2022, Erin M. Collins, an Internal Revenue Service National Taxpayer Advocate, testified that the IRS had a backlog of 6 million individual tax returns, 2.3 million amended returns, and 2 million employer's quarterly tax returns. By February 14, 2022, all tax returns filed with no errors before April 2021 were processed.

IRS Does Not Answer Your Phone Call

Accountants have the same access to the IRS as you do. Call Federal Express or United Parcel Service for the address and phone number of your local Internal Revenue Service. Simply a local processing site, you'll probably get a recording telling you how to request an appointment. Assemble the information requested in the recording and leave a concise message. By the grace of the employee, you'll get an appointment with an employee in the local office who can access your return and earnings records. Your employer may be in the backlog with you.

Delay in Processing Your Tax Return

Without any doubt, taxes filed and submitted online get processed faster than paper tax returns received in the mail. It may be worth paying a tax service or accountant to prepare and file your taxes flawlessly online. In February 2022, the IRS had a backlog of 17.6 million tax returns and 5.9 million forms and letters in need of manual processing. Discrepancies and mathematical errors require letters sent to taxpayers and can delay last year and this year's refund another year, especially if they have to deduct your error from the following year's taxes.

United States Senate Committee on Finance

The taxpayer advocate service experienced a 58% increase in taxpayers needing assistance from 2017 to 2021. Taxpayers unable to solve their problems through the IRS complain to their congressional representatives increasing the pressure on the overburdened IRS. The facts remain. Taxpayer advocates are ombudsmen assisting millions of taxpayers through financial hardships. Each amended tax return delays countless tax returns which are processed in computerized batches. Expecting an employee to locate your individual tax return or correspondence is asking them to locate 'a needle in a haystack.'

H and R Block Advances Tax Refunds

H and R Block advances up to $3500 of your refund without charging you a fee or interest on the day that you file your tax return. If you're facing pandemic-related financial difficulties, an advance from your tax preparer may be your solution to the backlog at the IRS. H and R Block can give you your refund on an H&R Block Emerald prepaid MasterCard. H and R Block can also take your tax return preparation fee out of your refund.

Comparative Tax Refund Advances

Consumer Reports warns taxpayers to beware of tax preparers' hidden fees. Jackson Hewitt, Liberty Tax, and TurboTax also advance tax refunds, but you may be charged interest if you request $7,000 or more. Read your contract before you agree to an advanced refund. Interest rates on advanced refunds range to 35 percent. You can even get an advance based on proof of income before you file your taxes.

Tax Relief Services

Unfortunately, if your 2020 return contained errors, IRS employees manually process your return and add penalties and fees to your taxes owed. You will not receive your 2021 refund until the error is corrected and the deficiency is collected. Optima tax relief service advertises that they start communications with the IRS. A tax relief service may be able to help you if your income drastically increased during the pandemic. Optima Tax Relief is a group of tax lawyers and paralegals who know tax law and IRS agency rules and regulations. They put their expertise to work for clients with outstanding tax debt, or those who are in danger of foreclosure or prosecution for breaking tax laws.

Petition the United States Tax Court

A simple petition to the U. S. Tax Court can stop all adverse proceedings against you. You will not be able to represent yourself in tax court. If you ask for a hearing, the IRS usually responds with remedies such as a tax audit or income average of your tax returns for five years. You may get a large refund if you lost wages due to the pandemic. Petitioning the U.S. Tax Court may be the solution for small business owners whose employees are denied benefits because business tax forms are not yet processed.