IRS to Study How to Combat Slow Processing of ID Theft Cases

The IRS has an initiative underway to reduce the time it takes for victims of identity fraud to receive their refund, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said Thursday.

The agency is taking 22 months on average to process and send refunds to victims of tax-related identity theft, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins said last month. That’s an increase from 19 months in fiscal year 2023.

The latest initiative will look at both mid- and long-term steps to combat the processing trend and get at the root cause, Werfel told reporters at an Urban Institute event. The agency will continue to focus ...