Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Just Because

I have been on the phone waiting for an hour and a half with the IRS. They made an error and sent me a bill I have no intention of paying. I got through intake. Now I wait for a call back.

I sent the system in to a process error when I returned the original, endorsed, US Treasury Covid relief check back as partial payment for my 2019 taxes. It is 2022. The US Treasury could not cash its own check.


7 comments:

C. C. said...

I had the same kind of problem a couple years ago. Accidentally overpaid an extra month of payroll taxes. Called immediately to let them know. They said, No worries, we'll just apply it to the following month. Months later they sent me a refund check for the overpayment and BILLED ME for the following month + interest + penalty. I returned the refund, explained the sitch in a letter, and said, We're good. The refund check apparently disappeared in the IRS machine. They billed me AGAIN, adding more penalties + interest. I talked to several people (on hold for more than an hour each time) before it was finally resolved. It's hard to blame them, tho. They're terribly understaffed/overworked.

How's Miss Collar?

Christopher C. NC said...

CC, mine is a similar accounting/data entry error in which they think I owe them money and want to charge penalties and interest. They are obviously overwhelmed and understaffed. After six hours on hold and speaking to four different people, it is also clear the system itself is technologically and organizationally overwhelmed by the complexity and volume of data it has to handle. The security issues it has to deal with must be enormous.

The line went dead with the 4th IRS representative. I have given up on penetrating the phone labyrinth. Three duplicate letters with supporting documents from the IRS itself are going to the three IRS addresses directly involved in this mess. Maybe one of them is the right department to fix the error.

C. C. said...

Good luck!!

Christopher C. NC said...

Thanks. Oh yes, Miss Collar is doing very well for an old kitty. She has a big buddha belly on a bony frame and waddles between naps. She is in much better spirits. Her recent cosmetic surgery has healed nicely.

C. C. said...

Good to know, thanks for the update!

beverly said...

You all might be happy to know that the IRS said its plans for the 80 million it just got from Congress include 'better service'. The same 80 million the repubs say they will use to audit the middle class and wreak all sorts of havoc in the land. LOL.

Christopher C. NC said...

Beverly I read 80 Billion for the IRS. They certainly need more staff to handle the volume. That isn't going to help much with a seriously complex and convoluted tax code that ordinary employees are not authorized to make decisions about.