BURTON (WJRT) -
(01/18/13) - Your tax refunds may be a little late this year - especially for
those who file early.
The IRS extended the date by two weeks when tax services can first file the
return.
The IRS will start accepting tax returns Jan. 30, which is usually the time
when early filers get their refund in the mail.
But not this year. After an 11th hour fiscal cliff deal, it's left the IRS
playing catch up.
Scott Hammond is one of those early tax filers, but he didn't know his refund
will be later than usual. "I have a vacation planned in late February, it's all
paid for, this is just extra spending money for me and my daughter."
"Normally Jan. 15 is the first day you can file a tax return, but now they've
extended to Jan. 30 before they will accept any tax return from any preparer in
the United States," said Bill Tadrick, of Tadrick's Tax Service.
Tadrick said he can't remember when the IRS has ever extended the date to
file. Many of his clients rely on early refunds to pay for holiday expenses.
"Many rely on the refund for Christmas bills. Sometimes they over extend
themselves during the holiday, so they use that refund to help make a mortgage
payment or something."
While Hammond doesn't need his refund check now, he can understand the
frustration. "For people who are struggling, it's going to be a tough task for
people who are expecting that money quick. I've put myself in a good spot
financially so I don't have to worry about it," he said.
Tadrick expects refunds to be at a minimum two to three weeks late. But what
about those who file in the coming months?
"People that file later aren't going to have a problem unless they have
specific forms in their tax return. The IRS has said energy credits,
depreciation schedules, adoption credits, those will be delayed longer than
normal because they don't have the forms prepared yet."
Tadrick adds, just because the IRS is late with refunds, don't wait to get
your return in.
