The Internal Revenue Service made a crucial typing error while issuing the tax refund check worth $11,000. Myrna Hoffman who is currently suffering from Dementia depends on her daughter Debra to cash her refund check that finances her treatment. However, this time when Debra went to cash the tax refund, she was shocked to find out she couldn’t cash the check because of an error from the IRS. If you want to know more about how the IRS error blocked $11k tax refunds, this article is for you.
IRS Error Blocks $11K Tax Refund: What Exactly Happened?
Debra’s mom was a hardworking boutique owner in the 1950s. The daughter of the 92-year-old Myrna Hoffman, received the tax refund check last tax season from the US Treasury. She set out to cash the check that helped pay for her mother’s treatment. However, was shocked to find out the IRS made a major mistake that prevented her from cashing the tax refund. Debra reported that the check only had the percent sign and her mother’s name but her last name was missing. This made it impossible for her to cash the check for her mother.
Lack Of Response From The IRS
Debra said in her statement that she tried to contact the IRS regarding the typing error that was barring her from cashing the check. She mentioned that when she finally got in touch with someone they told her it would take 30 days. Debra was told she would receive a new check. However, that sadly didn’t happen even after months passed. To make matters worse, Debra’s mom Myrna Hoffman got sick pushing the family into a financial crunch. She explained how she couldn’t believe the United States Treasury would make such a mistake.
Media To The Rescue
After waiting for a response from the IRS for months, when nothing positive happened, Debra finally decided to take the help of the media. She told her story in the media and sure enough it came to her rescue. ABC7 NY contacted the IRS and a new check was finally issued in the name of Myrna Hoffman. The situation was resolved without much drama and Debra was seen celebrating her win. She explained in her statement how excited she was and how stressful the whole ordeal was for her. Debra also added that she can finally feel good again.
Thousands Of IRS Workers Laid Off
It is highly possible for other Americans to also be facing the error that stopped Myrna Hoffman’s daughter Debra from cashing the tax refunds. The main reason behind these errors is the recent cuts in the staff of the IRS. Around thousands of IRS workers were laid off because of the pressure from Elon Musk’s DOGE and its cost-cutting policies. This layoff unfortunately coincided with the tax season that commenced on the 27th of January 2025. The deadline for filing the tax returns is the 15th of April 2025. However, taxpayers can also extend this deadline until the 15th of October 2025.
How To Extend The IRS Deadline?
If you wish to extend the deadline and avoid penalties for not filing the return on time, you will have to fill out Form 4868. This form is the Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. You can either do this through mail, online with the help of an IRS e-filing partner, or through a tax professional.
