A new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) found that taxpayers waited close to 20 months on average for the IRS to resolve identity theft cases closed from fiscal years 2023 through 2025.
The numbers are hard to read:
- The IRS’s own goal is 120 days. Only 4 of the 114 cases TIGTA reviewed met it.
- Cases sat for an average of 533 days before anyone at the IRS was even assigned to them.
- Nearly 316,000 identity theft cases were still open at the end of September 2025.
- The IRS paid about $124 million in interest on delayed refunds. That’s taxpayer money spent because of the backlog.
What gets to me most is the silence. TIGTA estimated that more than 50,000 taxpayers didn’t get the required letters about their case in a single year. Some people didn’t even know their return had been flagged.
Behind each of these cases is a family counting on a refund for rent, tuition, or paying down debt, and they’re left waiting with no answers.
Here’s what we recommend to every client:
- Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). It’s free, and it’s one of the best ways to stop someone from filing a return in your name.
- File early. The sooner your legitimate return is in, the less room a fraudster has.
- Act fast if your return is rejected as a duplicate. File Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) and keep copies of everything.
- Contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service if you’re facing financial hardship from the delay.
- Work with a professional who knows how to follow up and keep things moving.
Identity theft is stressful enough without a 20-month wait on top of it. A little prevention now can save you a lot of frustration later.
Need tailored guidance? We’re happy to chat.
