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Millions of paper tax returns go unopened at short-staffed IRS
By Michael Stratford
In addition to tax returns, unopened mail to the IRS includes taxpayer correspondence, information returns and payments. | Tim Boyle/Getty Images
The IRS estimates that nearly 5 million unopened paper tax returns had piled up at the agency by mid-May amid the closure of its offices nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report that POLITICO has obtained.
Overall, the IRS estimated it had a backlog of 10 million pieces of mail to open and process as thousands of workers begin returning to the offices on Monday.
In addition to tax returns, the unopened mail includes taxpayer correspondence, information returns and payments, according to the report.
Through May 22, the agency had processed 120 million returns, down 14 percent from the same point in 2019, when the filing deadline was April 15. The deadline was delayed by three months this year because of disruptions caused by the pandemic.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/29/paper-tax-returns-irs-290112
