“I don’t know. Is there an error? And we just need to do an amended return?” Boucher told WFLA investigative reporter Shannon Behnken. “Or my biggest fear was that somebody filed under our Social Security numbers and that there really was an identity theft problem.”
An 8-month refund hold that still hasn’t ended
The Bouchers filed their annual tax return in the middle of February, according to WFLA. In March, the IRS requested that they verify their identities, a step that’s typically triggered by red flags noticed by the agency, such as filing discrepancies or suspected identity fraud. They were first told to expect their money within nine weeks, which was later revised to 180 days, but so far nothing has come through.
A possible reason for the delayed refund is the larger than usual refund, tax experts told WFLA. The Bouchers moved into a different tax bracket in 2025, and over-withheld both an IRA withdrawal and W-2 earnings, Boucher said.
In September, Boucher applied to the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS), an independent office within the IRS that helps taxpayers struggling to resolve tax issues. She received a case number, but was told that the problem might take another 90 days to resolve, according to Behnken’s reporting for WFLA. It was after this that the couple reached out to “Better Call Behnken” for assistance.
“Right now we’re still in a holding pattern and just trying to figure out if there’s a way to get an answer,” Boucher said. “It’s not just the money, but is there something wrong? And if there is, what is it? So we can fix it.”
Behnken said she contacted the IRS about the Bouchers’ issue, and was told that “they would escalate this to the taxpayer’s advocate office.” The Bouchers later received a letter saying the refund was under review again and could take up to 60 more days.
What to do if your refund gets stuck
If you find yourself in a similar situation as the Bouchers, your first step should be to confirm that there is actually a hold. The IRS’ Where’s My Refund tool and the IRS2Go mobile app give daily status updates, but they rarely explain the reason for a delay. You can request your Account Transcript from your online IRS account for more details. Status codes like 570, which means a processing hold, and 971, which means a notice is on the way, can add some clarity to your situation.
