NCL statement: Delayed tax refunds begin arriving for EITC/ACTC recipients – National Consumers League

February 27, 2017

Don’t let refund delays keep you from claiming Tax Credit you deserve

Update

Washington, DC—While the IRS began issuing refunds for Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit recipients on February 15, the IRS has said that consumers should beginning to see those refunds appear in their bank accounts starting today.

The following statement is attributable to John Breyault, Vice President, Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud at the National Consumers League.

“For families claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), a tax refund can account for as much as 30 percent of their annual incomes, making any delay in getting that refund a source of stress. However difficult, those impacted should soon start to receive their refunds. With the delay lifted, I encourage anyone yet to file to do so now and check if they are eligible for these important credits. Currently only four out of five eligible taxpayers claim the EITC every year. That means 20 percent of those eligible are potentially missing out on thousands of dollars in tax credits that they’re owed. These folks work hard. They should find out whether the EITC can work just as hard for them.”

Background

  • Statistics for Tax Returns with EITC broken down by state are available here.

  • Individuals can check to see if they are eligible for the EITC through the IRS EITC Assistant.

  • Consumers can check the status of their refund at irs.gov/refunds or the official IRS2Go mobile app.

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.