Some are looking at an extra $2,200 in tax refund cash already Susan Tompor Detroit Free Press View Comments The IRS released stats Friday that give taxpayers a glimpse into the start of the season.
So far, the average tax refund was $2,201 as of Feb.4 — about two weeks after the Jan.24 kickoff when the Internal Revenue Service began accepting returns.
A total of $9.53 billion has been issued in refund cash with a bit more than 4.3 million returns generating federal income tax refunds.
Nearly 16.7 million returns were received through Feb.4 and nearly 13 million individual income tax returns have been processed, according to IRS statistics.
What’s important to note is that the IRS is dealing with a burdensome backlog of 2020 returns that remained unprocessed from last year and needed to move forward.
The IRS stats, for example, listed about 4.46 million refunds issued via direct deposit.The average is $2,306.But the IRS footnotes indicate that the category includes direct deposit refunds for returns received in the prior year or the current year but processed in 2022 requesting a direct deposit.
How do the early stats compare with last year?
The IRS had a delayed start to the tax season last year and did not begin processing tax returns until Feb.12, 2021.
No year-to-year comparisons exist at this point.
More: IRS Detroit office to open Saturday for face-to-face help
More: 3 big issues could delay your tax refund in 2022: What to know
Not everyone who filed early is going to be seeing a quick refund.
The IRS, by law, cannot issue refunds that include a claim for the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit before Feb.
15.Congress gave the IRS additional time to help the IRS stop the growth of fraudulent returns that tried to wrongly cash in on big refunds generated by these credits.The law was enacted in 2015.
People who claim the Earned Income Tax Credit can expect to see tax refunds in bank accounts or their debit cards by the first week of March, according to IRS alerts.
Trend lines can be hard to track given that all tax seasons aren’t the same.
The IRS noted: “For historical perspective, it’s important to remember these weekly numbers can shift dramatically during the initial weeks of filing season due to numerous factors, including the calendar and filing patterns that can change year to year.”
If you’ve faced a problem, the IRS is offering some special hours for help at its offices.
The IRS Detroit Taxpayer Assistance Center will be open for no-appointment hours from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.Saturday.
The office is at 500 Woodward Ave.in the Ally Detroit Center, near a QLINE streetcar route and East Congress Street.
Visitors can walk in if they have issues relating to refunds, transcripts, ID theft, the advance child tax credit, and other concerns.Payments can be made by check or money order, not cash.
Bring all necessary paperwork.
The IRS recommends that individuals bring:
Current government-issued photo identification.Social Security cards and/or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers for all members of their household.Any IRS letters or notices received and requested documents.
A current mailing address.An email address.Bank account information, to receive payments or refunds by direct deposit.Contact Susan Tompor: [email protected] .Follow her on Twitter @ tompor .To subscribe, please go to freep.com/specialoffer.
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