Expanded Child Tax Credit Portends Refund Delays, Other IRS Woes

An increased child tax credit that is inching closer to passage in Congress could take the IRS weeks to implement, delaying refunds and leading to a spike in phone calls in the middle of filing season, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins said.

“I very much appreciate Congress trying to help taxpayers and enact new legislation but we all have to be realistic,” Collins said, speaking Saturday at a conference hosted by the American Bar Association’s tax section in San Francisco. “If we have legislation during the filing season, it is going to negatively impact the filing season.”

Collins said she ...