When I last updated this saga (on September 22nd), I hadn’t heard a thing from the IRS or my request for the Taxpayer Advocate Office to take a look at the missing refund for my client (call him John Smith). So in mid-November, I again called the Identity Protection Unit requesting status. I discovered that this case had been assigned to the Taxpayer Advocate. However, the IRS Identity Protection Unit couldn’t tell me who at the Taxpayer Advocate was assigned to the case: either they didn’t know or they’re simply not allowed to talk about anything assigned to the Taxpayer Advocate.
I called the Taxpayer Advocate hotline and was told the name of the individual who was assigned to the case. I then called him, got his voice mail, and left a message with a promised callback coming within two weeks. It’s been a month, and unsurprisingly (given how this case has gone) there’s been no callback. I left another message requesting status this morning. We’ll see if we have a callback by January 2nd (I’m not holding my breath).
Neither my client nor I have ever received any communication from the Taxpayer Advocate Office stating that the case has been assigned to someone. We haven’t received any communications from anyone, for that matter, since my client successfully verified his identity. Meanwhile, the interest owed to my client has passed $4,500–something you and I will be paying for. It’s hard to see my client receiving his refund for at least another month; by the time this saga ends it’s likely interest will exceed $5,000.
Consider individuals who desperately need their tax refunds, and this large refund (approximately $30,000) is needed to pay bills. Do I need say more? It shouldn’t take nine weeks to have a return processed after identity verification (but it does); my client has been waiting 39 weeks (and counting).
I will update this saga in the New Year.
Previous posts on this:
An Identity Protection Unit Saga: Part 1
An Identity Protection Unit Saga: Part 2
An Identity Protection Unit Saga: Part 3
An Identity Protection Unit Saga: Part 4