With cuts to the IRS workforce, what could that mean for filing taxes
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The IRS is among the Federal Agencies expected to see probationary employees fired as part of a sweeping workforce reduction.
This could mean thousands of workers leaving as we’re in tax season. A local tax preparer said this likely won’t impact the majority of tax filers.
Shane Albrecht, general manager at Liberty Tax on Pawnee, said if you file electronically, you’re not likely to see an impact. The majority of Americans file their individual tax returns online, about 90 percent according to IRS data.
Albrecht said that is what the IRS prefers and it’s largely an automated review process, not touched by a human.
“They really wanted to keep it as streamlined as possible. Almost every form is available to be transmitted electronically. There are very few forms that are paper only. That’s something the IRS has been working on for over a decade, and they’ve gotten to that point where everything can be electronically filed,” he said.
Albrecht said the IRS says you should see your return and refund if you qualify within 21 business days.
He added that some electronically filed returns are randomly pulled to be reviewed to make sure the system is working properly.
“Those are the ones that get handled by hand, so they take a look at them and just make sure the systems are working the way that they should, processing them the way they should be. Like one in ten gets kicked out. Those take a little bit longer. Those won’t fall into the 21 business days, but you’re just the unluck of the draw,” said Albrecht.
He said if you file by paper, those are the ones that need to be reviewed by hand and that process already has a wait, at least six weeks minimum.
The IRS, in recent years, has increased the number of staff with additional funding, but it’s unknown how many fall into the probationary status.
Albrecht advises avoiding filing by paper and filing when you have all of your documents to get it done.
On the Kansas side, he said there have been no issues reported.
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