Taxes

‘Disappointing Tax Season’ Points To Smaller, Later Refunds

  • IRS predicts backlogs processing returns, long waits on phone
  • Child tax credits, new businesses mean more complicated forms

The IRS has launched the start of tax season which runs to April 18 for most taxpayers.

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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In what even the U.S. Treasury says will be a frustrating tax season, families claiming the child tax credit and newly self-employed Americans are among filers likely to see the biggest challenges this year.

The season starts Monday, and while Internal Revenue Service teams have been working “non-stop” for several months, years of funding and personnel cutbacks, along with a backlog of several million tax returns from previous years, will hamper the agency’s abilities to respond as swiftly as in the past.