The 2022 filing season finished yesterday, 17 October 2022.

Below are some statistics from this year’s filing season. These provide insight into the IRS’ processing of U.S. federal income tax returns through the 2022 season. Data is from the midyear report by the National Taxpayer Advocate, 2023 Objectives Report to Congress – Taxpayer Advocate Service (irs.gov)

 

         21.3 million 

number of paper tax returns the IRS had to process as at the end of May 2022

          205,000

number of individual paper returns the Service currently processes per week

          500,000

number of individual paper returns the Service would need to clear the backlog by the end of 2022

          1.3 million

number of additional paper tax returns the IRS had at the same time as the year before, to process

             85%

percentage of 2021 returns the IRS processed promptly during the 2022 filing season

       251 days/eight months

the average amount of time it took the IRS to adjust a return, including communicating with the taxpayer and allowing time for a reply by mail as of May 2022

       74 days/two months

the average amount of time it took the IRS to adjust a return, including communicating with the taxpayer and allowing time for a reply by mail in 2019

      ten months

time taxpayers have frequently waited for refunds claimed on paper-filed returns

   four to six weeks

timeframe taxpayers expect is reasonable for the IRS to issue their refunds within

         38%

percentage of the targeted 5,473 new personnel for Submission Processing the IRS had hired

           10%

percentage of taxpayer calls that IRS telephone operators answered during the 2022 filing season

             9%

percentage of taxpayer calls that IRS telephone operators answered during the 2021 filing season

             73 million

number of incoming calls made from 1 January 2022 – April 23 2022

              167 million

number of incoming calls from 1 January 2021 – May 21, 2021

               29 minutes

average wait time on hold to speak to an IRS telephone operator

                 $814.4 billion

total payments made through three rounds of Economic impact payments

                   476.1 million

total number of COVID-19 Economic Impact payments made

 

(Source: Objectives Report to Congress https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/reports/2023-objectives-report-to-congress/)