Knowledge is protection when the IRS is involved. I'm Darrin Mish, a tax attorney in Tampa with 32 years of experience representing taxpayers nationwide. Here's what I want you to understand.<\/p>\n
Taxpayers who filed their tax returns electronically using Turbo Tax by Intuit may experience a delay in getting their refunds due to a \u2018processing error\u2019 by Turbo Tax. \u00a0The Turbo Tax spokesperson, Julie Miller issued a statement:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused these customers. \u00a0We made a mistake and are doing everything we can to make it right. \u00a0We are communicating directly with customers affected and of course, we\u2019ve waived all TurboTax fees.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This error affects possibly thousands of taxpayers who opted to receive their refunds via direct deposit. \u00a0If you are one of the affected taxpayers, you will be receiving your tax refund by paper check instead. \u00a0Furthermore, the IRS will mail your check approximately one week after the day you were scheduled to get your direct deposit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In addition, the date of the expected refund has also changed for many taxpayers. \u00a0Those who expected their refunds on February 4 discovered that their expected date of refund has been changed to February 22. \u00a0Some who expected a refund on Jan 28 would now get their paper check refund by Feb 15. \u00a0According to some taxpayers, their refund dates have been changed two or more times without any reasons given.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But just what was the \u2018processing error\u2019 made by Turbo Tax? \u00a0No one knows for sure. \u00a0But one thing is certain \u2013 the IRS confirmed that they did not receive any direct deposit banking information from Turbo Tax. \u00a0Hence there is speculation that the last page of the tax returns that bears the relevant information for direct deposit was never transmitted by Turbo Tax.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Another complaint is that the calls made to Turbo Tax customer service resulted in long waiting times and no concrete answers. \u00a0Logging into the website brought no better results either.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This entire episode will undoubtedly create bad publicity for Turbo Tax and Intuit. \u00a0Although taxpayers have been told that it\u2019s \u2018only going to be an extra week\u2019 to get their paper check, it does little to reassure irate filers. \u00a0Even one week may be too long a time for many. \u00a0This is especially so because if the paper check is delayed, the IRS cannot trace it immediately.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n