
So income cutoffs can differ for each program, benefit, or credit. This is because researchers and policymakers in Canada use different measuring tools to decide who needs assistance. To continue its efforts to account for stimulus changes, the IRS extended the tax filing deadline to May 17 on Wednesday, which was lauded by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal and Oversight Subcommittee Chair Bill Pascrell, who said in a joint statement on March 8 that extending the tax season will lift the " titanic strain" on taxpayers.The definition of low income can mean something different depending on who you ask and the types of benefits you apply for. "The IRS will provide taxpayers with additional guidance on those provisions that could affect their 2020 tax return, including the retroactive provision that makes the first $10,200 of 2020 unemployment benefits nontaxable," the statement said. On March 12, the agency said in a statement that it urges taxpayers to not file an amended tax return while it is reviewing implementation of the new tax laws, which Democrats pushed for to ease the burden on taxpayers. And given the changes to the tax system, the IRS is behind on processing nearly 7 million tax returns, causing delays in tax refunds. "It's literally a little under $4,000 that I can't get right now, which I could really use."Īccording to IRS data, around 53.9 million tax returns have been filed so far this year, which is almost 97% of all returns. Terry Algranati, a TurboTax customer based in New Jersey, told Insider that he still is waiting for the second two stimulus payments, and he can't complete his 2020 tax return because of IRS delays in accounting for the unemployment tax exemption in its software. He also said he "loves the change to under $10,000," in reference to the stimulus tax exemption on unemployment benefits.Īt the same time, Jones said this is a very complex tax-filing season and that the Internal Revenue Service hasn't made any decisions yet on how it will actually execute the change in taxable unemployment benefits. Earlier this week, however, H&R Block CEO Jeff Jones told Insider that "unemployment is new for tens of millions of people" and he sees people making "mistakes" on their tax filings as a result. H&R Block did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

"We are implementing IRS guidance on unemployment income within TurboTax, and updates will be available in product this evening, March 18."


"We're working around the clock to make updates to TurboTax based on the recently enacted American Rescue Plan so our customers can file with confidence and get their maximum refund," Ashley McMahon, a TurboTax spokeswoman, told Insider.
#Turbotax unemployment tax break update software
According to CNBC, online tax preparers H&R Block and TurboTax haven't updated their software to account for the changes, with experts saying that taxpayers who are eligible for the tax break should wait to file. Taxpayers with income of less than $150,000 in 2020 are eligible for a tax exemption on the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits from the federal government. But H&R Block and TurboTax customers will have to wait for some of it. President Joe Biden signed a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan last week, and Americans are eager to receive their stimulus checks and get tax refunds.
