Were You Charged IRS Penalties Between 2020 and 2023? You May Be Owed a Refund.

Most people assume the IRS only takes. Turns out, there's a window right now where they might have to give some back... and it closes in less than two months.

A recent federal court ruling suggests that most tax filing and payment deadlines were automatically extended during the COVID-19 pandemic. Which means the penalties and interest the IRS charged you for "late" filings or payments between January 20, 2020 and July 10, 2023 may never have been legally owed.

The IRS isn't going to call you about this. That's why you're reading it here.

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What happened.

A case called Kwong v. United States was decided in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The court ruled that a provision in tax law — combined with the COVID disaster declarations — legally pushed most federal tax deadlines back to July 11, 2023. If that holds up, anything filed or paid before that date wasn't technically late. And any penalties or interest the IRS collected during that window could be refundable.

The IRS disagrees and is appealing. But here's the catch: you can't wait to see how it plays out.

Who this might apply to.

If you filed federal tax returns between January 2020 and July 2023 and the IRS charged you any of the following, you may have a claim:

• Late-filing or late-payment penalties

• Underpayment interest

• Interest on overpayments the IRS held

• Foreign information return penalties (note: FBAR penalties are separate and not included)

This applies to individuals and business owners across the board ... including U.S. taxpayers living abroad.

The deadline is July 10, 2026.

To protect your right to a refund, you need to file a protective refund claim using Form 843 before that date. Think of it like reserving your spot in line. If the court ultimately rules in taxpayers' favor, a timely claim means you're eligible to collect. Without one, you lose your shot entirely — even if you would have qualified.

Even the National Taxpayer Advocate has publicly urged taxpayers to act now before the window closes.

What to do next.

If you were charged penalties or interest during the COVID era, this is worth a conversation. We can pull your IRS records, identify what you may be owed, and file a protective claim on your behalf before the July 10 deadline.

Acting now costs very little. Missing the window could mean leaving real money on the table.

Book your free Tax Assessment today!

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