Tax Software Problems | Video

Amy Fox | 3/14/2013

If you claimed an education tax credit on your 2012 tax return, you could be looking at a 4-6 week delay in getting your refund. KMOT takes a look at how the glitch in the tax software program could affect North Dakotans.

We`re in the heart of tax season, and that means people are e-filing. But, some tax service companies, like H&R Block, are experiencing problems with their tax software program. We’re talking about tax form 8863. When you went to fill out the form in the past, if you didn`t mark yes or no, it was assumed you weren`t taking credit. But, this year, the form has caused some confusion.

“This version of the software you have to mark yes or no. And, so, those are the ones that are being re-prepared or re-calculated by H&R Block,” explains North Dakota Tax Commissioner Cory Fong.

H&R Block released this statement today: "We are communicating directly with our impacted clients to assure them that we are doing everything we can to expedite their returns. The IRS has informed us and other impacted providers that they are currently processing these returns."

With about 660,000 taxpayers nationwide affected by this glitch, Fong says this will have an impact on state returns.

"In order to process state returns and so that`s how it affects the tax payers and their state returns,” said Fong. “If they for some reason have a delay in their federal return because of this, they are also going to have a delay in their state return and state refund."

H&R Block isn`t the only company affected by the glitch, so other tax service companies are updating their software programs more frequently to prevent problems like this from happening.

"During tax season, we actually update weekly and the same as all other tax companies and we`re in constant communication with the IRS. So, if there are any glitches or if there are any problems, we are made aware of them almost immediately and we address them as fast as we can,” said Jackson Hewitt Tax Service North Dakota General Manager Gina Manley.

While Fong says glitches in software programs can happen, he still encourages still encourages tax payers to file online.

To check the status of your refund, go to www.irs.gov and click on the "Where`s My Refund" tab.

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