Purposely overwithholding taxes from your paycheck allows your employer to send more money than needed to the IRS to cover your tax liability. The practice, while disapproved of by some financial experts, can guarantee a sizable tax refund every year.
The strategy is how Cathy Boucher and her husband have ended up waiting eight months and counting for a $24,851 IRS refund that still hasn’t come. Their accountant told the Pasco County, Florida, couple in February that the IRS owed them that amount.
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“I don’t know. Is there an error? And we just need to do an amended return?” Boucher told WFLA investigative reporter Shannon Behnken. “Or my biggest fear was that somebody filed under our Social Security numbers and that there really was an identity theft problem.”
An 8-month refund hold that still hasn’t ended
The Bouchers filed their annual tax return in the middle of February, according to WFLA. In March, the IRS requested that they verify their identities, a step that’s typically triggered by red flags noticed by the agency, such as filing discrepancies or suspected identity fraud. They were first told to expect their money within nine weeks, which was later revised to 180 days, but so far nothing has come through.
A possible reason for the delayed refund is the larger than usual refund, tax experts told WFLA. The Bouchers moved into a different tax bracket in 2025, and over-withheld both an IRA withdrawal and W-2 earnings, Boucher said…