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/)