US Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth led the state’s Congressional Democrats in writing to the federal Internal Revenue Service to ask why Illinoisans are receiving notices of late payment in error after filing—and paying—their taxes on time.
“We write on behalf of our constituents with extreme concern about the tax payment processing delays that are causing confusion and panic throughout Illinois,” the group wrote. “Not only is it unacceptable that the IRS has failed to process tax payments in a timely manner—the failure to prevent erroneous late notices from being sent is incredibly damaging to taxpayers’ trust in the IRS.
“This trust is increasingly important as an increasing number of criminals now attempt to impersonate the IRS to scam vulnerable taxpayers out of their hard-earned money. By sending out incorrect notices, your agency has endangered years of effort to establish confidence in IRS communications.”
In their letter, the lawmakers requested the following information from IRS:
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How many Illinois taxpayers received a notice of late payment? How many in the country?
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Of those taxpayers, how many has the IRS determined received those notices in error?
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How is the IRS communicating to the taxpayers who received a notice in error?
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How is the IRS communicating to the taxpayers who received a proper notice of late payment, but is not aware that they committed an error?
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Will the IRS be waiving any fines, fees or interest as a result of the agency’s confusion?
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How many IRS employees were processing Illinois tax payments during the previous two years’ tax seasons? How many IRS employees are processing Illinois tax payments during the current tax season?
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Have all IRS employees who accepted the deferred resignation offer now left the agency? Has this contributed in any way to the delayed processing of tax payments?
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Can you confirm that of the 8,500 IT employees that the IRS had at the start of the 2025 fiscal year, more than 2,000 IT employees have separated from the IRS?
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What is the IRS’ plan to ensure that these mistakes do not happen in the future?
Following reporting earlier this month revealing that Illinoisans were receiving late payment notices and penalties from the IRS even though they had already filed and paid their taxes, and were then unable to get answers or responses from the IRS about those notices and penalties, the lawmakers wrote to IRS Commissioner William Long to learn how many Illinoisans have been affected and how IRS staffing cuts have impacted the agency’s ability to properly function.
“To make matters worse, the late notices also include penalties and fines, which further heightens the urgency for taxpayers to resolve the issue.” The letter continued, “Not only is it unacceptable that the IRS has failed to process tax payments in a timely manner—the failure to prevent erroneous late notices from being sent is incredibly damaging to taxpayers’ trust in the IRS.”
Since Donald Trump’s return to office, indiscriminate cuts at the urging of “DOGE” resulted in the IRS firing more than 7,000 probationary employees.
In the midst of tax season, the agency let over 20,000 full employees leave through multiple deferred resignation programs.
Photo Credit: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
