Where’s Your 2019 Tax Refund?

The US is under an enormous strain right now because of the Corona Virus pandemic. This unprecedented event has catapulted our economy into crisis mode.

Tens of millions of Americans are without jobs and health insurance. People are struggling to pay for basic needs such as water and electricity. Grocery prices have skyrocketed. On average, Americans paid a whopping 2.6 percent more for food in April than March.

The federal government’s response has been slow and frustrating.

The first confirmed case of COVID19 in the United States occurred on January 19, 2020. Yet, the CDC did not lift testing restrictions until March 4, 2020. Before then, Americans could not get tested, even if they were showing mild symptoms of the virus.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the CARES Act into law. The law intended to provide Americans with financial relief during this trying time. The average American would receive a stimulus payment of $1,200 based on their 2018 or 2019 taxes.

It is now May and many eligible Americans have not received their stimulus payments or their tax refunds. At first glance, the fault seems to lie with the IRS, as they issue the payments.

Yet, the Trump Administration has neglected to provide the treasury department with tax refund guidance. Instead, they’ve pressured the IRS to send out payments as fast as possible. Now, the workload for IRS workers has increased tenfold during the tax season. Yet, the number of tax employees has declined.

Since 2013 the IRS workforce has decreased by 15.5 percent, and funding for the department has fallen by over 20 percent since 2010.

Why did the White House hand such a critical job to an under-manned agency in the middle of their busiest season?

Moreover, why were more employees not hired to handle the staggering workload?

Disorganization and a lack of common sense seem to plague this administration. Even when trying to help Americans, they simply fall short.

Some Americans who filed their taxes back in March have yet to receive their refunds. This also means those much-needed stimulus payments aren’t getting to them either.

There’s nowhere for these law-abiding Americans to turn to, either. Because of the prodigious workload, the phone lines for the IRS are down. Stay-at-home orders are keeping the local tax offices closed. Even reporters are not getting any answers.

The IRS is not releasing any information on tax refund processing. All we know is that they are prioritizing the stimulus payments. This means tax processing has taken a back seat for now.

Americans who filed their tax refund electronically usually receive payment within 21 days. Yet, some who filed back in February are still not receiving their refunds, with no update from the IRS.

If you filed a paper claim, you must wait even longer for an answer. The IRS processes these claims manually. As of today, they’ve stated they are not processing paper claims at all.

What can you do if you’ve filed your tax return and still haven’t received your tax refund?

First, contact the Department of Treasury directly:

Department of Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW  Washington, D.C. 20220

Do not mail a letter to the IRS right now. They’ve stated multiple times they cannot process mail or inquiries. Start with the treasury itself.

Then, contact your senator. You can find them by clicking here.

The only way we will solve this problem is to let the government and our representatives know there is one. Senators are working to get more relief money into Americans’ pockets.

We can’t let them run the next bill through the IRS or we may end up in the same situation we’re in now. Write the treasury. Write your senator. Let’s see if we can get some answers.