SOME FIND RELIEF PAYMENTS WERE SENT TO WRONG ACCOUNT
Users of tax preparation services might be affected
her tax preparation fees with her refund due, rather than paying for it upfront, then the second payment may have been sent to a TurboTax bank. Several other taxpayers who paid their fees the same way also reported delays.
Smith, who was laid off in October, had planned to use the money to pay her rent and is frustrated as her hands are tied until the money comes in.
“I would love that money,“she said. “It’s imperative.“
There is no exact measure at this time of how many taxpayers were impacted. The IRS did not comment Tuesday on the scope or cause of the problem. It said that “because of the speed at which the law required the IRS to issue the second round of Economic Impact Payments, some payments may have been sent to an account that may be closed or, is or no longer active, or unfamiliar.“
TurboTax said that the IRS is the “sole party with the ability to determine eligibility and distribute stimulus payments“and that by law, the financial institution must return the payment to the IRS if an
account is no longer active.
“We know how important these funds are for so many Americans and that everyone is anxious to get their money,“said company spokeswoman Ashley McMahon. “We are partnering with the IRS to help taxpayers receive their payments as quickly as possible.“
H&R Block said that it “understands stimulus checks are vitally important for millions of Americans“and said if the IRS Get My Payment website displays an account number a customer doesn’t recognize, then its customer service agents are ready to help by phone or online.
The IRS has said that there is no action required by eligible individuals to receive this second payment. The payments are automatic, and people should not contact their financial institutions or the IRS with payment timing questions.
The IRS advises people who are eligible for the payments but haven’t received them to file their 2020 tax return electronically and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax return to get their payment as quickly as possible.