IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, writing in an ongoing series of articles about various functions of IRS, provided an overview of a number of key areas affecting taxpayers as of early September.

Rettig noted that "despite our best efforts, pandemic-related issues are still causing us to experience record levels of activity that continue to affect operations across the agency, including the processing of tax returns and refunds."

Our client, A.A.L.I.V.E. Organization, and A.A.L.I.V.E.'s Inside Voice Program were featured on 6abc Action News' Philly Proud segment on Monday, September 20, 2021.

A.A.L.I.V.E. is a grassroots 501(c)(3), Non-Profit Organization whose mission is to offer socialization and awareness opportunities to enhance the lives of our adult special needs community. The work they do is remarkable!

The Biden-Harris Administration announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is making $25.5 billion in new funding available for health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding includes $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) resources for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Medicare patients, and an additional $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 for a broad range of providers who can document revenue loss and expenses associated with the pandemic.

Two new programs aimed at helping Delaware County residents affected by the pandemic have been given the go-ahead by county officials.

Delaware County Council unanimously approved two DELCO Summer 2021 programs spearheaded by the Delaware County Office of Workforce Development and the Commerce Center that will provide $350,000 in new economic funding for Delaware County small businesses and unemployed residents.

The Internal Revenue Service has launched two new online portals designed for parents to check their eligibility status for payments totaling $3,600 or $3,000, depending on the child’s age. Most families will not need to log in to a portal to receive the payments if they already received stimulus checks but may still want to verify how much they’re getting.

The IRS is notifying parents of important changes to the Child Tax Credit that will help families get advance payments this summer.

The IRS will pay half the total credit amount in advance monthly payments beginning July 15.

Parents can claim the other half when filing their 2021 income tax returns. These changes apply to the 2021 tax year only, according to the IRS.

If you received unemployment benefits in 2020 due to the pandemic and paid taxes on those funds, you may qualify for a refund from the IRS. The agency began sending out refund checks earlier in May and will continue through the summer months.

Unemployment Compensation Fraud is a very serious matter. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) is committed to preventing, identifying, and blocking scams and is continuing its aggressive efforts to do so, including:

• Cross-matching data with other state agencies and across the country to detect fraud activity.
• Working with the U.S. Department of Labor to prevent and detect fraudulent activities related to UC.

Did you receive an IRS identity verification letter? There is no need to panic; this is not a scam. If you received a 5071C, 4883C, 5747C, 6331C, or 5447C letter, the IRS needs to verify your identity.