Pevita Pearce
BRUNSWICK, Ohio – Monnie Johnston, a certified public accountant with three decades of professional tax preparation experience, now finds herself entangled in the very system she once navigated with expertise. This year, for the first time in her career, she and her husband, Bob, also a CPA, have been unable to secure a clear explanation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding their own tax return. Their predicament, detailed in a recent U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, highlights a growing trend of widespread service disruptions and delays across the agency, largely attributed to significant staff cuts implemented over the past several years.
"Something’s clearly wrong," Monnie Johnston stated in an interview, her voice tinged with a frustration born from prolonged uncertainty. The Johnstons, who meticulously prepare their own taxes and those of their three adult children, filed their 2025 federal return electronically on March 22. TurboTax confirmed the IRS’s acceptance of their return the same day, promising a refund typically within three weeks. However, five months later, the $8,000 refund remains elusive.
The couple has received three letters from the IRS since filing, none of which offers a concrete explanation for the delay. Each communication simply requests an additional 60 days for review. "Our return is squeaky clean, and typically it’s not uncommon to get a letter, and they might question one line item, but usually when that happens, that query comes with the very first letter," Monnie Johnston explained. "What I’m not used to is getting very vague letters saying, you know, we’re looking into this. We don’t know."
Bob Johnston’s attempt to reach the IRS directly proved equally disheartening. After navigating the agency’s automated phone system, he was finally directed to a live representative, only to be met with an automated message stating, "I’m sorry, we’re over capacity, and we can’t address this at this point." The call then disconnected, leaving him without any resolution. This experience was a stark departure from their past interactions with the IRS. "That’s the very first time that that’s ever happened to us," Monnie Johnston remarked. "He’s always been able to get a hold of somebody. It’s just a matter of how long do you have to wait."
A System Under Strain: The Impact of IRS Staff Reductions
The Johnstons’ experience is not an isolated incident; it reflects a national pattern documented by federal watchdogs. The IRS has experienced a significant erosion of its workforce. Statistics compiled by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicate that the agency lost approximately 27 percent of its workforce over the past year, a consequence of mass firings and buyouts enacted under the Trump administration. This reduction in personnel has directly impacted the IRS’s capacity to perform its core functions efficiently.
By the summer of the 2026 tax filing season, the IRS had failed to fill more than half of the 1,900 authorized positions designated for processing returns and correcting errors. Furthermore, the division responsible for answering taxpayer questions missed its hiring goal by a substantial 34 percent, according to a report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that while the IRS processed approximately 98 percent of the 177 million individual and business returns received during the latest filing season—a rate consistent with the previous year—internal assessments revealed significant slowdowns. The agency attributed these delays, particularly for paper returns, to unavailable processing systems and reduced staffing. Recent staff losses, the GAO noted, had also hampered the necessary programming updates for these critical systems.
Taxpayer Advocate’s Grim Assessment of Service Levels
The National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS, presented a stark picture to Congress in June. The agency answered only 21 percent of calls during the 2026 filing season, with an average wait time of 14 minutes. This represents a decline from the previous year, when 25 percent of calls were answered with an average wait of eight minutes. The number of fully staffed Taxpayer Assistance Centers also saw a dramatic decrease, falling from 102 to just 42 nationwide.
Despite these operational challenges, the IRS characterized the 2026 tax filing season as "largely successful," citing the processing of nearly 139 million individual tax returns, the issuance of over 90 million refunds, and the successful implementation of extensive tax law changes. However, the report cautioned that "aggregate statistics do not tell the whole story." It characterized the filing season as "frustrating, confusing, and financially disruptive" for millions of taxpayers.
The Taxpayer Advocate’s report detailed specific hardships faced by individuals: "Some taxpayers whose returns were frozen by IRS filters waited weeks or months for refunds they depended on to pay rent, buy groceries, or cover medical expenses." The report also highlighted the inability of many taxpayers to reach a live employee despite repeated attempts on certain IRS telephone lines. Victims of identity theft continued to endure unacceptable delays, some stretching close to two years. Furthermore, lower-income and unbanked taxpayers seeking paper refund checks encountered obstacles that left them feeling excluded from a system that should serve everyone.
Congressional Scrutiny and IRS Response
The mounting evidence of IRS service degradation has not gone unnoticed by lawmakers. In July, more than a dozen Democratic U.S. senators penned a letter to IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano, directly referencing the Taxpayer Advocate’s report. They questioned his assertions that the IRS had no additional staffing needs, particularly in light of the significant workforce reductions during the Trump administration.
In response to inquiries, IRS spokesman John W. Fuld declined to comment on the specifics of individual taxpayer cases, citing privacy regulations. However, he provided a statement asserting that "The IRS delivered a historically successful filing season, efficiently processing returns and issuing average refunds that were 11 percent higher than last year as Americans benefited from the President’s Working Families Tax Cuts." Fuld added, "IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano remains committed to maintaining the right workforce and delivering the world-class service American taxpayers deserve."
Reaching Out for Help: Constituent Services in the Spotlight
The Johnstons, driven by frustration, have sought assistance from their congressional representatives. A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Westlake) confirmed that their office is investigating the Johnstons’ case. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-Columbus) reported no significant increase in constituent IRS issues but encouraged Ohioans experiencing difficulties with federal agencies to contact their office.
The office of U.S. Rep. Max Miller (R-Bay Village), whose district encompasses Brunswick, stated that they regularly assist constituents with IRS-related problems. While they could not definitively confirm whether the current volume of cases is higher than usual or directly attributable to staffing levels, a spokesperson, Abigail Angelos, noted, "In our casework, we see constituents dealing with delayed refunds, returns that have been pending for extended periods, identity verification issues, and other processing problems."
U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Warrensville Heights), representing a neighboring Cuyahoga County district, reported a notable increase in IRS casework this year, with over one-third of all federal agency casework being IRS-related. The majority of these cases involve individuals seeking assistance with delayed refunds. Brown’s spokesman, Will McDonald, specifically pointed to the GAO report on IRS staff cuts as a contributing factor.
Beyond the Refund: Broader Implications of IRS Understaffing
While the Johnstons’ $8,000 refund delay is not causing them direct financial hardship, it is disrupting their personal bookkeeping and, more significantly, their perception of governmental efficiency. Bob Johnston expressed a broader concern: "Cuts are made arbitrarily, and now they’re affecting us as citizens. That is what’s annoying."
The IRS’s ability to process returns, issue refunds promptly, and provide accessible taxpayer assistance is fundamental to the functioning of the U.S. economy. The current strains on the agency have tangible consequences for millions of Americans, particularly those who rely on refunds for essential living expenses or who face complex tax situations requiring expert guidance. The prolonged delays and communication breakdowns erode taxpayer trust and can lead to significant financial and emotional distress.
The implications of understaffing extend beyond individual taxpayer frustrations. A less efficient IRS can lead to increased tax evasion, delayed enforcement of tax laws, and a reduced capacity to adapt to evolving tax legislation. As tax laws become more complex and the economy grows, the need for a robust and well-funded IRS becomes even more critical. The current situation suggests a potential disconnect between the agency’s stated commitment to service and its operational realities, a gap that federal lawmakers and taxpayers alike are increasingly scrutinizing. The path forward for the IRS likely involves addressing its staffing deficit and modernizing its technological infrastructure to meet the demands of a complex tax system and a growing population of taxpayers.
