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House Democrats Urge IRS to Continue Responding to EIP Inquiries

Posted on Dec. 4, 2020

Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee are demanding that the IRS continue accepting and addressing inquiries from individuals regarding economic impact payments (EIPs) through the end of the year. 

In a December 3 letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, the lawmakers said they were “troubled” to learn the agency would shut down the mailbox that congressional offices have been using to submit inquiries about EIPs for their constituents. 

According to the letter, the IRS said it would stop accepting new inquiries on November 30 and would stop working on open inquiries on December 10, requiring those with unresolved issues to file a 2020 tax return to claim a recovery rebate credit. 

“When over 80 million Americans received their EIPs automatically in early April, it should not be this difficult for constituents who diligently escalated their claims to the IRS to receive that very same emergency assistance,” the letter said. 

The taxwriters asked the IRS to continue resolving inquiries and issuing payments through December 31. They also want the EIP congressional mailbox to remain open through the 2021 filing season to address concerns that constituents may have with claiming the credit on their returns. 

“Based on lessons that should have been learned this year, the IRS should foresee that constituents’ issues will not vanish when the new filing season starts,” the letter said.

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