IRS

The Biden administration hopes to help fund its agenda by cracking down on tax evasion, but its plan to require more bank information is drawing strong opposition from GOP lawmakers and banks.

"Be alert to criminals who ask you, by phone, email, text – or even on social media, to verify your information," the IRS cautions.

The debit cards can't be processed in prisons so inmates can't deposit their payments. The IRS has acknowledged the problem, but hasn't offered an immediate solution.

The improper payments happened due to confusion over whether dead people should receive the payments from the IRS, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

This applies to people who haven't received a payment and who haven't checked that the IRS has their information. Those who miss the deadline will get a paper check, which may not arrive until June.

The IRS said the economic relief payments "are going out on schedule, as planned, without delay." The Washington Post reported that Trump's name would be included on the checks, an unprecedented step.

The Treasury has begun sending $1,200 relief payments to people economically affected by the coronavirus. The IRS set up a website for those who haven't already supplied their bank information.

The IRS says it is reviewing concerns about its Free File program after ProPublica reporting found that tax-prep companies made it difficult to find the program.

Tax refunds so far have been smaller than last year's. Some taxpayers kept a bigger share of their income, but for others it reflects an overhaul that rewarded high earners the most.

Tax season is more stressful this year for filers and IRS workers alike, because of tax law changes and the partial government shutdown that has left the agency with roughly half its normal staff.

Three House and Senate committees have "the unqualified right" to request taxpayers' returns from the IRS. There's no provision exempting the president.