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IRS may owe millions of taxpayers COVID tax refunds — here’s how to check your eligibility

Nypost · · 581 words · By Taylor Herzlich
Taxpayer Rights Legal Recourse Government accountability
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What to know about Taxpayer Rights

IRS may owe millions of taxpayers COVID tax refunds — here’s how to check your eligibility Tens of millions of Americans may be eligible for pandemic-era tax refunds – and even though the issue is still playing out in court, the deadline to file for relief is…

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center88%
Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

IRS may owe millions of taxpayers COVID tax refunds — here’s how to check your eligibility Tens of millions of Americans may be eligible for pandemic-era tax refunds – and even though the issue is still playing out in court, the deadline to file for relief is…

Why it matters

United States, the US Court of Federal Claims last November ruled that a tax provision that requires tax filing extensions during disasters should have applied to the COVID pandemic, which officially lasted from Jan.

Common ground

That means any Americans who were charged penalties or interest for failing to file their taxes or filing late during that time period shouldn’t have been charged at all, and are eligible for refunds, according to tax experts.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/11/business/irs-may-owe-millions-of-taxpayers-covid-t…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
verified Verified By Reference 2
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Claim 1: “the COVID pandemic, which officially lasted from Jan. 20, 2020, through July 10, 2023”
CORROBORATED
The specific dates (Jan 20, 2020, through July 10, 2023) are explicitly cited in the context of the Kwong v. United States ruling as the period for which deadlines were postponed.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article documents the timeline of transmission of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand throughout 2021. The following dates and times are in New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13) unt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_COVID-19_pande…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland in 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_COVID-19_pande…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Nigeria
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “The Kwong v. United States decision covered the COVID-19 federal disaster period through May 11, 2023, plus an additional 60 days, which extended the period to July 10, 2023”
CORROBORATED
The specific calculation of the disaster period ending July 10, 2023 (May 11, 2023, plus 60 days) is cited in the context of the Kwong v. United States ruling.
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web search NEUTRAL — CROSS is a searchable database of CBP rulings that can be retrieved based on simple or complex search characteristics using keywords and Boolean operators. CROSS has the added functionality of CROSS r…
https://rulings.cbp.gov/home
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of RULING is an official or authoritative decision, decree, statement, or interpretation (as by a judge on a point of law). How to use ruling in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruling
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 5, 2026 · A ruling is the judge’s decision on a specific legal question — whether to admit a piece of evidence, whether to dismiss a claim, whether to force someone to produce documents.
https://legalclarity.org/what-does-a-ruling-mean-in-a-court-…
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Claim 3: “taxpayers have until July 10, 2026 to request a refund”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly link the July 10, 2026 deadline to the Kwong ruling and the filing of Form 843.
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web search NEUTRAL — The IRS COVID refund July 10 deadline 2026 is directly tied to the use of Form 843, which is the official request for refund or abatement of certain taxes, penalties, and interest. This form has becom…
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/t…
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web search NEUTRAL — Under the reasoning of Kwong, tens of millions of taxpayers may be entitled to refunds or abatements of those amounts. However, this relief will not happen automatically. To protect their rights, most…
https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/news/nta-blog/protect-y…
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web search NEUTRAL — In Kwong v. United States (Nov. 25, 2025), the U.S. Court of Federal Claims held that IRC Section 7508A(d) automatically postponed every federal tax filing and payment deadline from January 20, 2020, …
https://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/blog/kwong-covid-irs-pe…
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Claim 4: “The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of a person’s unpaid taxes monthly, capped at 25%”
CORROBORATED
The failure-to-file penalty of 5% monthly capped at 25% is confirmed by both a cross-reference (CNBC) and general tax penalty information.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IRS is the United States Internal Revenue Service, the revenue service of the U.S. federal government. IRS, irs, or IRs may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Indian Revenue Service (IAST: Bhāratīya Rājasva Sevā), often abbreviated as IRS, is a civil service that is primarily responsible for collecting and administering direct and indirect taxes. As a c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Revenue_Service
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service of the U.S. federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “In Kwong v. United States, the US Court of Federal Claims last November ruled that a tax provision that requires tax filing extensions during disasters should have applied to the COVID pandemic”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the ruling in Kwong v. United States, specifically that IRC Section 7508A(d) postponed tax filing and payment deadlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The federal judiciary of the United States is one of the three branches of the U.S. federal government organized under the U.S. Constitution and laws of the federal government. The U.S. federal judic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_judiciary_of_the_Unite…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Court of Claims was a federal court in the United States that heard lawsuits involving monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established in 1855 and renamed the United States Court o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Claims
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Court of Federal Claims (in case citations, Fed. Cl. or C.F.C.) is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It was established by statute…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Federal…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “taxpayers are facing a strict three-year statute of limitations to file for relief”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Official IRS documentation on statutes of limitations confirms that the general period for claiming refunds is 3 years from the due date of the return.
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web search NEUTRAL — A statute of limitation is the time period established by law during when IRS can review, analyze, and resolve your tax-related issues. When the statutory period expires, we can no longer assess or co…
https://www.irs.gov/filing/statutes-of-limitations-for-asses…
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web search NEUTRAL — The statute of limitations for claims of refunds is the later of 3 years from the due date of the return or within 2 years after the taxes are paid. To claim a refund, taxpayers must file a valid refu…
https://thismatter.com/money/tax/statute-of-limitations-for-…
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web search NEUTRAL — 7.01[1] Statutory Provisions This section gives a general overview of statute of limitations issues in criminal tax cases. For a more detailed discussion of a specific offense, reference should be mad…
https://www.justice.gov/archives/file/statute-limitations/dl
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Claim 7: “To request a refund, filers need to download Form 843, a two-page tax form that can be found online”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Official IRS instructions and multiple web sources confirm that Form 843 is the correct form to request an abatement of penalties or a refund of certain taxes.
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web search NEUTRAL — Employers cannot use Form 843 to request a refund or an abatement of Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax, Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) tax, or income tax withholding. Also, do not use…
https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i843
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web search NEUTRAL — Form 843 is used to request refunds or abatement of penalties, interest, and certain tax overcharges. Here is how and when to use it.
https://smartasset.com/taxes/irs-form-843
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web search NEUTRAL — File IRS Form 843 with Damiens Law Firm for penalty waivers and refunds. Get expert guidance on your tax relief options.Form 843 is a form you submit to the IRS if you want a refund or abatement from …
https://damienslaw.com/forms/form-843/
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Claim 8: “the failure-to-pay penalty is 0.5% of your monthly balance, with the same limit”
CORROBORATED
The failure-to-pay penalty of 0.5% monthly capped at 25% is confirmed by multiple independent sources including CNBC, Wikipedia, and H&R Block.
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web search NEUTRAL — Penalty for Failure to Timely Pay Tax: If a taxpayer fails to pay the balance due shown on the tax return by the due date (even if the reason of nonpayment is a bounced check), there is a penalty of 0…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_penalties
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web search NEUTRAL — We calculate the failure to pay penalty based on how long your overdue taxes remain unpaid. Unpaid tax is the total tax required to be shown on your return minus amounts paid through withholding, esti…
https://www.irs.gov/payments/failure-to-pay-penalty
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web search NEUTRAL — The IRS late payment penalty (sometimes called the failure to pay penalty) is 0.5% for each month, or part of a month, up to 25% of the tax amount that is unpaid from the due date of the return (until…
https://www.hrblock.com/tax-center/irs/refunds-and-payments/…
+ 1 more evidence source
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.