Pay Your Taxes Yakima? Waiting on That Refund?

It's almost tax time. Internal Revenue Service officials say more than 160 million individual tax returns for the 2021 tax year are expected to be filed, with most before the April 18 tax deadline. Most taxpayers face an April 18 deadline this year due to the Emancipation Day holiday in Washington, D.C falling on April 15.

Some changes happened last year that could impact your taxes

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig says taxpayers need to take special care this year due to several critical tax law changes that took place in 2021 and ongoing challenges related to the pandemic.
IRS officials say if you expect a refund it'll arrive within 21 days of when you file electronically if you choose direct deposit - similar to previous years. Last year's average tax refund was more than $2,800.

Wondering when your refund will arrive? Don't let the scammers get your money

Haven't seen your refund? Check the new feature“Where's My Refund?” tool at IRS.gov.
While taxpayers are busy with preparing taxes scammers are also busy.
IRS officials reminds taxpayers to protect personal and financial information throughout the year and watch out for IRS impersonation scams, along with other schemes, that try to trick you out of your hard-earned money.

The scams come in a variety of forms

The schemes can involve text message scams, e-mail schemes and phone scams. This tax season, the IRS also warns people to watch out for signs of potential unemployment fraud. A news release from the IRS says last year, there was an uptick in text messages that impersonated the IRS.
The scams are "sent to smartphones and have referenced COVID-19 and/or “stimulus payments.” The officials say the messages often contain bogus links claiming to be IRS websites or other online tools. Other than IRS Secure Access, the IRS does not use text messages to discuss personal tax issues, such as those involving bills or refunds. The IRS also will not send taxpayers messages via social media platforms."