Refunds delayed due to problem with IRS Form 8863; 3 million taxpayers impacted

CLEVELAND - As many as 3 million taxpayers have been hit with a delay in their tax refunds this year.

It has nothing to do with an error on their part, or forgetting to submit something. It all has to do with one little form that was very late in coming out this year, and then how at least one tax preparation firm responded to the delay.

And 600,000 of those people, who filed through H&R Block, may have to wait even longer.

One Delay, Then Another

College student Josh Kickish has never seen anything like it.

Like millions of other students and parents of college students, he had to wait until mid February to file his taxes, because of an IRS delay in the Education Tax Credit form, Form 8863.

“So I waited 'til the 14th, got an email from the IRS saying they got my return, and I was waiting in approval status, Kickish said.

But then he was hit with a second delay: When he checked the “Where’s my Refund" app on his phone, he found nothing about his refund.

Facebook Page Set Up

So he searched online, and found a whole Facebook page related to what some are calling the Form 8863 "debacle."

Kickish said he realized there were a lot of people who filed the 8863, Educational Tax Credit, waiting for their refund too.

Josh learned that not only were all 8863 filers hit with that initial two-week delay, but those who used H&R Block, as he did, now have to wait even longer.

What Went Wrong

"When all those returns got sent from H&R Block to the IRS, they all got put in in error," he said.

H&R block has released a statement saying the IRS did not make it aware of a specific change in the 8863 forms this year, so Block’s 600,000 entries were delayed, and are now "pending further review."

Block said everyone will receive their refund in 4 to 6 weeks. The other 2+ million filers taking this credit should get their refund sooner.

That means more frustration for Kickish and many other students waiting on a refund. All you can do is keep checking every few days.