Efficiency in Government

[pb4uski]

By and large, the IRS works pretty well. Like many things, I'm sure it is more ugly behnd the curtian than what the average taxpayer sees, but it works well by and large. I do 5-6 tax returns a year for 10-20 years and have never had a big problem. Had on year for my son that the electronic filing would not go through so we just printed and mailed it.

I'm afraid that the changes currently being made will screw it up beyond all repair... or perhaps that's the objective.

 

[Christopher13]

I had the same experience last year—scheduled the payments and like clockwork, the IRS pulled the funds first thing in the morning. No delays, no glitches. For all the grief we give the system, it’s nice when something just works as expected. Definitely a quiet thumbs up moment.

 

[jazz4cash]

I did an online payment to the IRS 4/14 for six figures. They took it on 4/14. Very efficient. This was a pull from the IRS, not a push from my bank. Very quick.

04/14/2025

ACH

IRS USATAXPYMT 041425

The IRS USATAXPYMT is exact description on my checking transactions list which I authorized via HR Block efile. I efiled on 3/13 and they debited 4/16.

 

[William38]

Same here! I scheduled my payment the night before and it was gone by sunrise. Say what you will about the IRS, but when it comes to taking your money, they don’t mess around. At least it means no surprises or delays later.

 

[Dtail]

Same here! I scheduled my payment the night before and it was gone by sunrise. Say what you will about the IRS, but when it comes to taking your money, they don’t mess around. At least it means no surprises or delays later.

Did 2 returns around a month ago with 2 payments owed immediately. They were just taken yesterday.

 

[Flute McG]

Our return was E-filed 4/10, but the payments weren't withdrawn until today 4/16. Both state and federal.

Flute

 

[johnmiller13]

Scheduled my quarterly payment and by the time I had my first sip of coffee, it was already gone. Say what you will about the IRS—but when it comes to taking your money, they don’t waste a second.

 

[Tracer]

I filled electronically around the end of February just before TurboTax raised their fees (I hate that they do that every year mid tax season ). Although I was pleasantly surprised to see my refund deposited in my bank in one week.

 

[Flieger]

Pretty efficient! Mailed my Fed tax owed check on 4/14, Fidelity shows the check clearing 4/21!

Flieger

 

[Salaryman]

Tried to get an appointment at NJ DMV for my son's REAL ID. 0 appointments available for three months out anywhere in the state....
IRS is very efficient at taking money, but I've been calling them for past month to adjust a scheduled payment which cannot be altered by anyone but them. Gave up after holding for 1-3 hours each times (at least 4 times I've tried). Its a [mod edit] , getting worse not better.

 

[GrayHare]

My return contains a multi-page form present only because within is a solitary line entry that ends up having no bearing on the amount of tax due. All this form's many other numeric fields are empty. I suppose all the fields, even the empty ones, or, worse, scans of these forms, will get saved in some massive database while serving no purpose. I have been tempted to delete the form but that might trigger some other unnecessary paperwork.

 

[jebmke]

Tried to get an appointment at NJ DMV for my son's REAL ID. 0 appointments available for three months out anywhere in the state....
IRS is very efficient at taking money, but I've been calling them for past month to adjust a scheduled payment which cannot be altered by anyone but them. Gave up after holding for 1-3 hours each times (at least 4 times I've tried). Its a [mod edit] , getting worse not better.

HOw was the IRS payment orginally scheduled? I have been able to cancel a payment on EFTPS and enter a new one. But that is the only system for payments I have tried.

 

[Salaryman]

HOw was the IRS payment orginally scheduled? I have been able to cancel a payment on EFTPS and enter a new one. But that is the only system for payments I have tried.

I scheduled it on IRS.Gov, and my CPA also did it as well through his portal; both of us were not allowed to cancel or change our payments at the time. Just rechecked it, and was able to cancel one of the duplicates. Guess I had to check back on the website some time later. Thanks for helping address the issue!

 

[dobig]

I was quite impressed with how quickly our $99k federal tax check we sent in cleared.

Not so impressed with the wait for a couple thousand refund from state we're still waiting on.

 

[HFWR]

$99k federal tax check

Thank you!

 

[audreyh1]

I scheduled it on IRS.Gov, and my CPA also did it as well through his portal; both of us were not allowed to cancel or change our payments at the time. Just rechecked it, and was able to cancel one of the duplicates. Guess I had to check back on the website some time later. Thanks for helping address the issue!

Got it.

A lot of us use EFTPS for estimated ax payments as well as the final refund payment. And there you can cancel and redo scheduled payments up to two days before the scheduled date. Glad you were able to cancel the duplicate.

 

[MichaelB]

Got it.

A lot of us use EFTPS and there you can cancel and redo scheduled payments up to two days before the scheduled date. Glad you were able to cancel the duplicate.

Right, that’s why I stopped scheduling payments on the IRS site and began using EFTPS. I also recall a limit on the IRS site on how many payments or how far into the future they could be scheduled.

EFTPS is much easier all around.

 

[Ronstar]

The Fed income tax return system is a mess. 14 pages for my simple return. My Illinois state return is 4 pages. The IRS would be a lot more efficient if the tax code was made simpler.

 

[Walt34]

The Fed income tax return system is a mess. 14 pages for my simple return. My Illinois state return is 4 pages. The IRS would be a lot more efficient if the tax code was made simpler.

You can legitimately blame congress for that. They're the ones who write the complicated loopholes for taxes (or not paying taxes) and the IRS is merely the tax collector. I met a few guys who worked at the IRS (a BIL is one) and they all wish the tax code was made simpler. Just like everyone else.

 

[Midpack]

The Fed income tax return system is a mess. 14 pages for my simple return. My Illinois state return is 4 pages. The IRS would be a lot more efficient if the tax code was made simpler.

You can legitimately blame congress for that. They're the ones who write the complicated loopholes for taxes (or not paying taxes) and the IRS is merely the tax collector. I met a few guys who worked at the IRS (a BIL is one) and they all wish the tax code was made simpler. Just like everyone else.

+100. It’s criminal how complex the IRS tax code is, but it’s entirely the fault of Congress. That’s how they accommodate wealthy donors and corporations, and engage in social engineering, at our expense. Every time I see an article or discussion complaining about the wealthy and corporations paying no or low taxes, it’s entirely misplaced - they’re paying what’s legally required just like any of us would. And Congress is about to do it again right under our noses…

 

[audreyh1]

Right, that’s why I stopped scheduling payments on the IRS site and began using EFTPS. I also recall a limit on the IRS site on how many payments or how far into the future they could be scheduled.

EFTPS is much easier all around.

I particularly like being able to schedule all four estimated tax payments at once, and do so at the same time I schedule my final tax payment for the prior year. Just one session online each year.

 

[Guamaniac]

I was a junior officer on a frigate in the late '80's. Department head said the captain told him to spend money left over in the morale/welfare budget. We got a universal gym put in the helo hangar before deployment. Kinda hard to use while you're at sea. And not sure what would happen if a helo was assigned to us. I left soon after so not sure what happened. The ship was decommissioned in '91 anyway.

 

[braumeister]

Found an unexpected check from the IRS in the mail today.
Back in 2020 I had filed an amended return to claim a tax credit of $165. Now, just a couple of weeks shy of five years later, I got the $177 refund, including $12 interest. I assume this means they are finally catching up with the COVID backlog!
The wheels of government turn slowly, but they never stop.

 

[Koolau]

Found an unexpected check from the IRS in the mail today.
Back in 2020 I had filed an amended return to claim a tax credit of $165. Now, just a couple of weeks shy of five years later, I got the $177 refund, including $12 interest. I assume this means they are finally catching up with the COVID backlog!
The wheels of government turn slowly, but they never stop.

Pretty pathetic interest rate. I wonder if they charge the same interest rate. Anyway, glad you finally got your refund.

 

[aja8888]

Found an unexpected check from the IRS in the mail today.
Back in 2020 I had filed an amended return to claim a tax credit of $165. Now, just a couple of weeks shy of five years later, I got the $177 refund, including $12 interest. I assume this means they are finally catching up with the COVID backlog!
The wheels of government turn slowly, but they never stop.

Don't forget to report that interest payment on your tax return next year!