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Mom struggling to keep heat on after never getting IRS Child Tax Credit payment

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — While thousands wait for their September Child Tax Credit payments, others say they’ve never received some at all.

For Amy Sutton, mom of two, she says the IRS has never given her the $1,200 she’s owed and she’s now struggling to keep the heat on for her family.

“We’re scrapping. With the prices of food going up, gas going up, it’s really hard,” Sutton said. “I don’t know when we’ll be able to get heat on in this house. And I don’t know when it is going to warm up a little bit. Last night, I put my oldest to bed and it was just freezing in her room.”

Sutton held back tears while speaking to I-Team 8. She says she and her husband have never stopped working, even through the pandemic. However, she only makes minimum wage and has been counting on getting some help from the IRS.

“We’ve never taken any days off because we can’t afford to and now we really need the help.”

Sutton says her family never received anything from their taxes back in February. When she has called the IRS for answers, she says, they tell her there is a hold on their taxes and that’s the reason for not getting any Child Tax Credit payments. Still, they tell her they haven’t gotten around to it yet.

We’re “exhausted and tired of trying to figure out what’s going on and we’re tired of getting the runaround,” Sutton said.

Over at OnTarget CPA, President Michael Jamison says the IRS is overwhelmed and understaffed, which is the reason for the backlog.

“I can tell you the regular hold times are like three hours,” Jamison said. “I have a lot of clients who still have not received their refund from their 2020 taxes that were filed before April 15.” 

Jamison says it’s taking eight to nine months just to get any kind response from the IRS. He says the positive note for this is that “any payments not received will be able to be claimed on the income tax return” that gets filed in January.

But for Sutton and others, January is too far away.

“I’d have to get a second job,” she said. “I don’t know what we’re going do about future meals and how we’re going to be able to take care of (our kids) if everything is just going up and up and we just sit back and watch the prices rise.” 

Jamison is encouraging people to reach out to their local U.S. representatives in the hope that Congress will be able to make this issue a priority for the IRS.

The IRS stated last week they are working on getting people their payments.