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Published:   |   Last Updated: March 5, 2026

Reduce Average Time to Resolve Identity Theft Victim Assistance Cases from Nearly Two Years to Four Months

The IRS must significantly reduce excessive delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases to protect taxpayers from prolonged financial hardship and restore confidence in fair and timely tax administration.

 

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TAS Recommends

To mitigate harm and improve service for identity theft victims, TAS recommends that the IRS:

Recommendation 3-1

Prioritize Timely Identification and Resolution of Potential Refund Cases: Immediately establish clear criteria to identify and expedite the processing of IDTVA cases with potential refunds while ensuring
the victims that are most at risk of financial harm are served first.

Recommendation 3-2

Set and Meet Timely Processing Targets: Develop and implement a comprehensive plan by the end of CY 2025 to reduce the average IDTVA case processing time to 120 days. Further, achieve a sustained average processing time of 90 days or less by the end of CY 2026.

 

Quarterly Updates

No updates to report for the first quarter of FY 2026. Progress during this period was affected by the lapse in appropriations and operational impacts, including reduced staffing capacity, reassignment of work and priorities, and reevaluation of TAS’s approach to managing systemic advocacy objectives and associated initiatives. TAS is refining its plans, quarterly activities, and success measures and will resume providing updates in the second quarter, including reporting any outcomes achieved during the first quarter.

Status

Return to FY26 Objective Statuses