Issue Statement: IRS operations has experienced many delays in processing amended returns. Taxpayers can use the limited “where’s my amended return?” (“WMAR”) online tool and get a general statement on how it takes for processing (i.e., up to 16 weeks). In reality, the timeframes are taking much longer (upwards of 264 days on average) to process, requiring taxpayers to ultimately contact the IRS about the delay. This delay is a burden on taxpayers, especially those expecting a refund. These delayed taxpayers also unnecessarily add to IRS taxpayer services burdens and lead to lower overall taxpayer service. The IRS would be able to serve more taxpayers if they are able to provide better communication to taxpayers about the status of their amended return. To that end, the TCC has provided two initial recommendations to improve status updates to taxpayers who file an amended return.

Goal Statement: To increase awareness of the status of filed amended returns.