Taxman bugging you for more info? Here’s why
Anyone who has already filed their taxes by now should be basking in the glow of a job done early.
But the taxman might not be done with you yet.
New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department spokesman Charlie Moore said it’s not unusual for the agency to request taxpayers to resubmit information like W-2s — wage and tax statements from employers — or their IDs. It’s a safety check measure, intended to verify the return is from the actual person named.
But Moore said the agency is hearing from lots of New Mexicans confused as to why they’ve been flagged to reverify information and unsure how to proceed. His first advice: Read carefully. “People should be sure to read the instructions on how to submit that information when we ask,” Moore wrote in an email. “Be sure to take note of the letter ID number, which they will need to submit the requested information or documents.”
In many cases, taxpayers can resubmit their information using the Taxpayer Access Point without even having to log in, which Moore said is the “quickest way to get that moving again.”
“They just need to scroll down the home page until they see the ‘Submissions’ box and then follow the directions,” Moore said, adding that letters from the taxation department will specify if that’s an option.
The agency will typically reach out by letter or through correspondence on the Taxpayer Access Point, Moore said, not by phone or direct email. Agency workers do sometimes reach out by phone to collect money, he said, but not to request more information be submitted.
You also may hear from Moore’s colleagues if you hit send a little too quickly and file an incomplete return.
“Many times, they’ll forget to include supporting documentation, or the schedules required for credits (the PIT-RC) and other kinds of adjustments, such as the Social Security and military pension exemptions (the PIT-ADJ),” Moore wrote. “So, the lesson there is that people should double check the instructions and make sure they’ve included everything, filled out all the necessary lines and signed the return.”
How to remedy missing information? That depends on your exact situation. Again, careful reading is the rule. People should not refile their return wholesale unless they’re asked to do so, Moore said, or they’ll delay the process even further.
The most common call the department is getting these days is from people asking where their refunds are. They might not like the answer.
“Processing can take 8-12 weeks,” Moore said. “So we do advise patience.”
The Taxpayer Access Point portal has a “Where’s my refund?” tool, which taxpayers can use by entering either their Individual Taxpayer Identification number or their Social Security number, as well as their refund amount.
Sometimes even that doesn’t yield the desired information, though.
“If a taxpayer gets a ‘status unknown’ message and they are sure they sent us the return, there is a good chance that we found a problem of some sort,” Moore said. “In those cases, we likely will send a letter, though it might not be right away.”
Whatever the circumstance, Moore said he suggests taxpayers sign up for an account on the Taxpayer Access
Point, which will make correspondence from the tax agency accessible faster than snail mail. Once an account is set up, users can find that correspondence under the “More” tab, and can also access a “submissions” link for uploading any documentation the department is asking for.
Moore also said anybody who hasn’t yet filed is urged to file electronically, either with commercial tax software or for free using the Taxpayer Access Point.
Returns are “much less prone to errors and can be processed much more quickly” when submitted online, Moore said.
The deadline to file income taxes is April 15.
For those who still can’t get the help they need, the department can be reached by email at TRD.taxreturnhelp@tax.nm.gov or by calling 866-285-2996. But be warned: You may be in for a wait.
“It can be difficult to get through right now, so we do apologize,” Moore wrote.