‘We can’t pay groceries with broken promises:’ Those still waiting for tax returns, stimulus checks continue to struggle

More than $10,000 — That’s how much Marissa Stafford estimates she’s waiting on.

“I have been waiting for not only my taxes since January, my stimulus check never came and now I’ve been waiting for my unemployment since March,” she said.

Stafford said she was laid off in March, the same time her family moved into a new home.

“My savings went to moving, you know, it cost us five grand just to move,” she said.

While her husband is still working, his hours are down.

“We have been able to maintain some of our bills, but not our big bills like the important ones, the roof over our head,” she said.

CPA Charles Massie doesn’t know Stafford but estimates 10% of his clients are still waiting on their returns despite filing months ago.

“When we contact the Internal Revenue Service, they just tell us we’re way behind and will get to it,” he said.

While Stafford understands that no one expected a pandemic, she says she needs answers.

“We can’t pay groceries with broken promises and it’s just getting so frustrating,” she said.

So what are you supposed to do? First, check the IRS site and click “Where’s My Refund.”

The IRS is slowly starting to answer phone calls so you can try to reach out.

Unfortunately for many, once your taxes are accepted, it’s a waiting game.