Tax filing season has kicked off. IRS has a web page dedicated to the filing season, and it includes a lot of helpful information, including information on ITIN changes and this year’s delay in releasing refunds relating to EITC and child tax credit.
The delay in the timing of the refunds is a major change. New York Times reported last week on the resurrection in refund loans this filing season in Tax Refund Loans are Revamped and Resurrected, with the large tax prep chains offering up to $1300 within a day or so with no direct fees passed on to the individuals for the loan. The article discusses the history of refund loans, which in their earlier form carried heavy fees and attracted a lot of criticism from consumer advocates. They essentially disappeared a few years ago.
Here is why the loans have returned. As we have discussed, Congress in the PATH legislation mandated a delay in remitting refundable-credit-based refunds until mid-February. The start of filing season has traditionally been a time when millions of lower-income refund seeking individuals filed early to get the refunds. To offset the PATH delay, and as a way to stem the flow of individuals to DIY software, the large prep chains have stepped in and essentially offered access to the refund loans as a loss leader.
What happens if the refund never materializes come late February (say there is a set off or examination based refund freeze) and the loan cannot be repaid? The NYT article says the large prep chains are going to eat the loss, though I have not read the fine print on what the consumers are signing when getting the loans.
From a tax compliance perspective, this situation more closely aligns the prep companies with the government’s interest in ensuring that the claimants are in fact eligible when claiming a credit, or at least are able to get past the IRS filters on freezing a refund if there are eligibility concerns.
To be sure, the prep chains have other ways to make money on the transaction, and the prep companies are good at cross-selling. I suspect we will be hearing more from consumer groups on this practice.
About Leslie Book
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