If you submitted your tax payment on time but it has yet to be cashed by the IRS, the agency said don’t worry it is likely a problem attributable to a coronavirus-induced mail backlog.
The IRS issued guidance on Thursday that any payments will be posted on the date they were received rather than the date they were processed that means you will not be on the hook for penalties and interest so long as your tax payment was submitted by this year’s extended deadline.
This issue will most likely affect people who mailed in their payments as the agency is dealing with a massive backlog of correspondence due to limited intra-pandemic staffing.
Do not cancel the check and ensure sufficient funds are available so that the payment can be processed.
If you have questions, calling is likely not the best option, the IRS says. Instead, it suggests waiting to contact about unprocessed paper payments.
And if you still need to submit a payment or a return, the IRS is urging individuals to do so electronically.
In its notice, the agency said it would provide relief from bad check penalties for dishonored checks received between March 1 and July 15 due to processing delays – but interest and penalties may still apply.
The IRS stopped processing paper returns at the end of March as it began adjusting operations in order to keep employees safe and to comply with coronavirus-related social distancing and stay-at-home guidelines.
