The IRS Is Down 27% in Staff — Your Tax Refund Could Take Months, Not Weeks

Source: International Business Times

IRS staff cuts and complex tax law changes may delay tax refunds, with processing times stretching well beyond typical schedules. A critical staffing vacuum at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has left millions of American taxpayers facing an agonising wait for their refunds this spring. The agency entered the 2026 filing season with its workforce decimated, dropping from 102,000 employees to just 74,000 in a single year, down by 27 per cent compared with last year.