‘Groundhog Day’ at IRS: Returns pile up, phone delays worsen

By FATIMA HUSSEIN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — An IRS watchdog says customer service issues are worsening at the tax-return-processing agency. A new report from the National Taxpayer Advocate says taxpayers are experiencing longer wait times on the phone, there’s an even bigger backlog of paper returns than there was a year ago, and delays in processing paper returns have been running six months to one year. The report on taxpayer challenges is submitted twice a year to Congress. The latest edition comes one day after the IRS said it’s on track to eliminate its 2021 backlog of tax returns. The IRS contends the report’s numbers are “neither the most accurate nor most recent figures.” and that the agency ”continues to make substantial progress on the inventory.”