Your IRS tax refund in SC may be delayed this year because of Trump. Here’s why and what you can do
You may want to file your taxes as soon as possible if you want that refund in a timely manner this year.
President Donald Trump has issued a host of executive orders since he took office last month, affecting everything from climate change to health and medical research. Some have rightfully garnered more attention than others, given their potential impacts. However, a couple that may have flown under the radar for many Americans could end up slowing their tax refunds this year.
Trump tax refund impacts
Last month, Trump signed an executive order that initiated a hiring freeze for all federal civilian employees in the executive branch, with a few exceptions. The order expires after several federal agencies submit plans to reduce the size of their workforce, except for the IRS. The agency will remain under a hiring freeze until the Treasury secretary, in consultation with others, decides it’s in the national interest to lift the freeze.
And because of the freeze, the IRS has rescinded all job offers with a start date after Feb. 8 or with an unconfirmed start date.
“Every facet of IRS operations will be significantly impacted by the current hiring freeze,” Charles Rettig, who served as IRS commissioner from 2018 to 2022, wrote in a recent LinkedIn post.
Another recent Trump executive order that demanded all remote-working federal employees return to offices could also impact IRS operations.
This might force the early retirement of some IRS employees not only because commuting might add undue burdens, but because it could let them “lock in their retirement benefits,” Nina Olson, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Taxpayer Rights, wrote in an email to the Journal of Accountancy.
If there is a wave of early retirements, that could leave some key IRS positions unfilled, impacting the agency’s ability to process refunds.
Speed up tax refunds
According to the South Carolina Department of Revenue, the best way to ensure your refund is processed as quickly as possible is to skip filling paper returns.
Filing tax returns online is not just faster; it’s more accurate since the software does all the math. Also, automatic checkpoints make sure the return is complete before it’s filed. According to the IRS, the error rate for paper returns is about 21%, compared to less than 1% for ones filed electronically.
Inaccurate information can also slow down a refund more than necessary.
Even when filing online, taxpayers are required to input a significant amount of information from official records like W-2 forms and driver’s licenses. Double-check that all your information is correct before filing.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
