It’s tax season — and whereas there are new tax financial savings beneath the One Huge Stunning Invoice Act (OBBBA), seeing a refund in your account would possibly take longer this 12 months.
With 27% fewer IRS workers in 2026 than final 12 months, delays in processing the anticipated 164 million returns could possibly be on the horizon. So, how will IRS understaffing have an effect on your refund?
Learn extra: 4 methods the One Huge Stunning Invoice Act might decrease your taxes
The IRS began 2025 with 102,000 workers and completed with about 74,000. The toughest hit departments had been Direct File with an 88% workers discount and On-line Companies with a 100% discount, plus many different departments shedding a big proportion of workers.
Small enterprise/self-employed division, which helps small companies and self-employed taxpayers perceive their tax obligations, was lowered by over 37%.
Taxpayer providers division, which helps taxpayers perceive and adjust to tax legal guidelines, was lowered by 21%.
Info know-how (IT) division, which helps workers with IT providers and options, was lowered by 25%.
The departments accountable for processing unique and amended tax returns, resolving tax return errors and fraud, aiding taxpayers on the phone and in individual, and updating laptop programs confronted a 17 % discount in workers.
Historically, the IRS hires seasonal employees to fill some positions, however the late 2025 authorities shutdown and hiring course of modifications delayed that.
As of December 2025, the division that processes unique and amended returns and resolves tax return errors had solely onboarded 2% of the workers it deliberate to rent. Even when they’ll rent extra employees, onboarding takes as much as 80 days, maintaining them out of this 12 months’s tax submitting season.
The largest influence on taxpayers — and refunds — includes customer support, with giant cuts within the variety of workers who reply about 100 million phone calls and cope with hundreds of thousands of taxpayer correspondence and instances.
The division that helps taxpayers on the telephone and in individual was solely in a position to onboard 66% of the workers it wants this tax season. And even in the event you get somebody on the telephone, that IRS worker won’t have the ability to reply your questions. On account of time constraints, the IRS modified the coaching for these new workers, so now, they solely display calls, reply primary questions, and route taxpayers to a different division.
The One Huge Stunning Invoice Act remodeled 100 modifications to the tax code, additional complicating tax return processing. Erin M. Collins, nationwide taxpayer advocate, mentioned in her 2025 Annual Report back to Congress: “Whereas the OBBB Act is mostly taxpayer-favorable in that it expands eligibility for sure deductions and advantages, the deductions and advantages are topic to complicated eligibility guidelines, earnings thresholds, and phaseouts that might be tough for a lot of taxpayers to know and for the IRS to manage precisely in the course of the submitting season.”
Many individuals may have questions in regards to the OBBBA modifications and attempt to attain out to the IRS for steering. With lowered workers, taxpayers could not get the assistance they want, which might result in errors on returns and additional delay refunds.
Affect of tax return backlog and energy to remove paper returns
The backlog of two million returns from earlier submitting years may additionally decelerate processing for this 12 months’s refunds. Whereas the IRS saved 1000’s of workers working throughout the federal government shutdown in October and November of 2025, they didn’t make a lot progress on the backlog.
Moreover, there was a push to remove paper returns and have filers submit electronically, however the effort has been delayed by workforce losses. Automated processes anticipated to be in place to transform paper filings to digital ones haven’t been accomplished, which might result in delays for taxpayers.
Learn extra: This is the right way to file a paper return
In line with the most recent IRS submitting season stats, IRS web site utilization is up over 49% throughout the identical time interval final 12 months. With the discount in workers, on-line instruments is perhaps your greatest wager for tax-related data. Listed below are some choices:
Allow us to make it easier to: This web page has data and hyperlinks on issues like the right way to file a return, the right way to amend one, the right way to pay, and rather more.
The way to file your taxes: Step-by-step: You’ll discover steering on the submitting course of, plus hyperlinks for requesting an extension, discovering the most recent tax modifications, and the place to go to file.
Interactive Tax Assistant: You’ll be able to search articles on submitting necessities, varieties, deductions, credit, and extra.
Submitting electronically and getting any refund by way of direct deposit is the quickest option to get your cash. The IRS says most refunds are issued inside 21 days and can go straight right into a checking account. The company additionally admits some will take longer and wish extra assessment.
You’ll be able to keep watch over the standing of your refund in 3 ways:
The place’s My Refund?: You have to your Social Safety quantity or tax identification quantity, the quantity of the anticipated refund, the tax 12 months, and your submitting standing earlier than you submit the request. The knowledge on the web site ought to be accessible 24 hours after the IRS receives an e-filed return and 4 weeks after receiving a paper return.
IRS2Go cellular app: You can even get free entry to tax software program and different assist by way of the app.
IRS Particular person On-line Account: After account setup, this can present balances, funds, tax information, and different data.
Learn extra: The place’s my tax refund? 4 causes the IRS could also be holding it up.
Staffing shortages would possibly delay some refunds, however the IRS nonetheless expects most to be issued inside 21 days from the date of e-filing.
You’ll be able to verify the standing of your refund on-line. Have your Social Safety quantity or tax identification quantity, the quantity of the anticipated refund, the tax 12 months, and your submitting standing helpful. The knowledge on the web site ought to be accessible 24 hours after the IRS receives an e-filed return and 4 weeks after receiving a paper return.
Often, the IRS does rent extra employees to assist in the course of the tax submitting season, however that course of has been hindered this season due to a number of causes, together with the federal government shutdown in late 2025.
