Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Most e-filed returns with direct deposit are issued in under 21 days, the IRS says.
The IRS says it issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days after an e-filed current-year tax return is received. Direct deposit can make delivery faster than a paper check once the refund is approved, but the 21-day statement is not a guarantee. Some returns take longer because the agency needs to review information, verify…
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The IRS says taxpayers can now opt in for email alerts when a refund status changes.
The IRS says taxpayers can opt in to email notifications when the status of a federal tax refund changes. The feature is available through an IRS Individual Online Account. It is a status alert, not a promise that a refund has been approved, issued or sent. The actual status in the account and any IRS…
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IRS Direct Pay lets taxpayers pay from a checking or savings account without a fee.
The IRS offers Direct Pay for personal federal tax payments from a checking or savings account, and the agency describes the service as free and secure. Direct Pay is a payment method, not a payment plan and not a way to reduce a tax balance. Its main advantage is that it allows an eligible taxpayer…
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San Carlos Apache Tribe taxpayers affected by the 2025 floods have until September 28 to file and pay certain federal taxes.
The Internal Revenue Service says affected taxpayers in the San Carlos Apache Tribe disaster area have until September 28, 2026, to file certain federal returns and make certain federal tax payments. The postponement follows severe storms and flooding that occurred from October 10 through October 13, 2025. It is targeted disaster relief, not a nationwide…
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More than 1 million taxpayers had refunds delayed beyond normal processing during the 2026 filing season, the taxpayer advocate reports.
More than one million taxpayers did not receive refunds within the IRS’s normal processing time during the 2026 filing season, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate. The report says those taxpayers experienced an average wait of about five and a half weeks. The finding describes a completed filing-season performance issue; it does not mean every…
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The IRS taxpayer advocate says 90.4 million refunds were issued in the 2026 filing season, averaging $3,275.
The National Taxpayer Advocate reports that the IRS issued 90.411 million current-year refunds during the 2026 filing season, with an average refund of $3,275. Those figures describe returns processed through the filing season, not a promised refund amount for a future return. A refund reflects a taxpayer’s particular withholding, payments, credits and final tax liability,…
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SSA’s watchdog says 46% of sampled overpayment notices missed its policy checks.
Nearly half of the Social Security overpayment notices reviewed by the agency’s watchdog did not meet policy requirements, according to a September 4 audit release. The SSA Office of the Inspector General found deficiencies in 46 percent of the notices it reviewed. That finding does not cancel an overpayment or establish that every notice is…
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SSA’s watchdog estimates 1.1 million SSI underpayments worth $291 million may still be unpaid.
The Social Security Administration’s inspector general says more than 1.1 million Supplemental Security Income underpayments, totaling about $291 million, were not paid to eligible recipients or survivors. The finding comes from a September 3 audit release, not from a new SSI payment program. It identifies an outstanding administrative problem and says SSA agreed to corrective…
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CMS says it stopped more than $1.6 billion in potentially improper lab payments, including $732 million tied to 157 revoked providers.
CMS says its enforcement actions have stopped more than $1.6 billion in potentially improper Medicare laboratory payments since the start of the current administration. The agency’s August 28 announcement says $732 million of that total was associated with revoking 157 laboratory providers from Medicare. The numbers describe payments CMS says it prevented or addressed through…
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CMS barred 11 medical-equipment suppliers after identifying more than $3.4 billion in suspected billing.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has taken action against 11 durable-medical-equipment suppliers after identifying more than $3.4 billion in suspected fraudulent billing across 2025 and 2026. The agency says the companies are being barred from future Medicare Advantage Part C and Part D payments through the federal Preclusion List. The case matters beyond…