If Refund Is Late, File Again, IRS Advises

The new Internal Revenue Service computer system has refused to accept many income tax returns, meaning that more persons than usual may have to file duplicate returns this year, the IRS said Friday.

Spokesman Rod Young said that it is impossible to determine how many returns were temporarily laid aside because of computer problems. But he added that “we’re certainly not talking about millions.”

This does not mean that those returns have been lost, Young said, but only that their processing has been delayed. Eventually, the IRS will work its way through the returns and notify taxpayers of the problem, he added.

But, for persons who want refunds as quickly as possible, filing duplicate returns probably is the best solution, Young said.

Each year, the IRS is unable to process some returns because of wrong Social Security numbers, missing information or names on returns that are different from those in the agency’s files. The situation was worsened this year by computer problems that delayed processing of millions of returns that had been completed properly.

If a return that reached the IRS at the height of the computer problems could not be processed, it was set aside for later handling, Young said.

The IRS suggests that anyone who has not received a refund after 10 weeks should call one of the telephone numbers set up to determine the status of refund checks. That call can provide information on whether the return is being processed. (In Los Angeles, the number is 213-617-3177.)

If the refund has not been received after an additional six weeks, Young said, a taxpayer should call again and might be advised at that time to file a duplicate return.

Young said that the IRS will attempt to send a refund within four to six weeks after receiving the duplicate return. If the IRS finds that the original return was filed on time, it will pay 13% interest on the refund from April 15.

The IRS has been dogged by problems with its new computer system this year. In February, the agency was 60% behind last year’s pace in processing returns. A week ago, processing was 1.2% behind the 1984 rate.

The agency is giving priority to processing returns that result in refunds, especially refunds of $1,500 or more. Any refund not dated before June 1 earns interest from April 15 if the return was filed by the April 15 deadline.