Elfreth Joins Maryland Delegation Calling on IRS to Expedite Tax Refunds for Constituents Facing Financial Hardship

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), joined Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Representatives April McClain Delaney (D-MD 06), Steny Hoyer (D-MD 05), Jamie Raskin (D-MD 08), Glenn Ivey (D-MD 04), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD 07), and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD 02), in a bicameral letter to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Billy Long regarding concerns with the agency’s deficient procedures for expedited processing of federal tax returns from taxpayers facing financial challenges.

“We are writing on behalf of our constituents regarding expedited processing for emergency cases involving severe financial hardship, especially amidst recently-exacerbated IRS staffing challenges. Currently, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will only accept expedite requests from the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) if the taxpayer can provide documentation of an immediate consequence,” the lawmakers began. “By the time a constituent has the required hardship documentation to expedite their case, they typically have 30 days at most before they and their families face serious distress, including homelessness.”

They go on to write, “once TAS receives the required financial hardship documentation and makes a recommendation to the IRS to expedite, there is currently no mechanism to ensure that the taxpayer’s case is handled with urgency. For example, in a recent Maryland case, a single mother of three submitted hardship documentation to TAS in September 2024, but she did not receive her federal tax refund until February 2025. As you might imagine, our constituents in these particular cases do not have several months to wait for a check that is owed to them by the federal government.

Regarding the challenges that Maryland businesses have faced, they added, “we continue to hear from Maryland businesses which filed claims up to three years ago and are still awaiting a refund for expenses promised by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Unfortunately, businesses that submitted proof of hardship, such as payroll documentation showing an inability to compensate employees or satisfy rent, have not seen quicker results that those without an expedited processing request.

The lawmakers go on to urge Commissioner Long to coordinate with TAS to review and reform the current procedures – recommending that they work to ease hardship documentation requirements, streamline interdepartmental case transitions, and accelerate processing for those in urgent need.

The full text of the letter is available HERE.

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