'Groundhog Day' at IRS: Returns pile up, phone delays worsen

FILE - A portion of the 1040 U.S. Individual Income Tax Return form is shown July 24, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

It’s Groundhog Day at the IRS.

After digging out of a daunting backlog from 2021, the agency has an even bigger backup for this tax season than it did a year ago and its pace for processing paper returns is slowing down, according to a watchdog report released Wednesday.

The National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS, also said taxpayers are experiencing longer wait times on the telephone, and delays in processing paper returns have been running six months to one year.