How many months should it take to receive a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service?
One? Two? Maybe three?
A 93 year old woman in Hickory Hills, Illinois, actually waited seven.
In mid-April, she received a letter from the IRS saying they needed more information to process her return.
So she called the number provided on April 18, and after waiting on hold for two hours, was informed that everything was in order, and she'd be receiving her refund in six to eight weeks.
She waited two months, and when the check hadn't arrived by June 15, she called the IRS again and was told that her identity might have been stolen along with her refund.
"I was thinking, just send me the damn money and I don't care about identity theft," Pryor told the Tribune.
She was informed again that everything appeared to be in order, and her check would arrive in six to eight weeks.
Two months later, having received nothing, Pryor called the IRS again on August 13, and was told for a third time that she'd be receiving her refund in six to eight weeks.
As amazing as it might seem, when she called the IRS again in September, she was told there was still a hold on her refund, but that she'd be receiving it in - wait for it! - six to eight weeks.
At the end of her rope, Pryor wrote the Tribune's "What's Your Problem?" advocate on October 8. With their assistance, she received her check nine days later.
This is one reason people should NEVER overwithhold or over-contribute quarterly on their taxes.
You're not only giving the IRS an interest-free loan of your money, you're also at their pleasure to get it back.
Just imagine how tough that's going to get if we continue to run trillion dollar deficits forever.
Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune.
