Tax Returns Delayed for low-income families: Will this impact you?

WASHINGTON -- Low-income families aren't going to be happy with this.The IRS is delaying their tax refunds this year in efforts to crack down on fraud and identity theft. The delays will only affect those families claiming the additional tax credit and earned income tax credit.

Tax breaks are provided to benefit the working poor, and many families claim both."For most of these people it's the biggest check they are going to get all year". The tax filing season started Jan. 23. The new law requires the IRS to delay tax refunds for people claiming credits until February. 15. Processing times will delay most of the refunds until the end of February.

This delay is designed to give the IRS more time to screen returns for fraud. It's estimated that the IRS issued $3.1 billion in fraudulent tax refunds to identity thieves in 2014. The year before that, the agency says, it paid out $5.8 billion in fraudulent refunds. Over those two years, the IRS says it blocked nearly $47 billion in fraudulent refunds.

Find out how this may effect you, and more at https://www.irs.gov/uac/as-holidays-approach-irs-reminds-taxpayers-of-refund-delays-in-2017