IRS Warns Of 2017 Tax Refund Delays

It’s better to owe taxes in April than to get a refund, and for the 2017 tax filing season, it’s especially important. The Internal Revenue Service today issued a warning of 2017 tax refund delays for certain taxpayers, urging folks to adjust their tax withholding now. We’re talking about your 2016 taxes that are due April 15, 2017.  There’s good reason to pay attention—at least there’s something you can do about it.

“We don’t want people caught by surprise if they get their refund a few weeks later than previous years,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen in the release.

A couple things are to blame. First, a new tax law effective next year requires the IRS to hold refunds a few weeks for some early filers who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit. The IRS has to hold the entire refund, not just the portion associated with those credits, until at least February 15.

Second, the rise in identity theft is causing the IRS and state tax authorities to spend additional review time to protect against fraud. Additional safeguards will be set in place for the upcoming 2017 filing season. “We want people to be aware we are taking additional steps to protect taxpayers from identity theft, and that sometimes means the real taxpayers face a slight delay in their refunds,” Koskinen said.