Identity Theft Victims Are Waiting Nearly Two Years to Receive Their Tax Refunds

National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins noted in a June 6, 2024 blog post that the Internal Revenue Service is taking longer to process identity theft victim assistance (IDTVA) cases for taxpayers, and that the 2023 average processing time was 556 days, and as of April 2024, the processing time has jumped to 675 days. The spike has been attributed to shifting personnel within the agency to prioritize answering phone calls to meet Treasury’s goal of the IRS achieving an 85% Level of Service on its general toll-free phone lines.