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Subramanyam urges IRS to fix joint tax filing issues
Virginia congressman cited constituent complaints over delays and payment errors affecting married taxpayers.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 31, Jul 2026
- 16:30 EDT
- 49
Suhas Subramanyam / House Floor
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam is urging the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to fix processing issues that affect married couples filing their taxes jointly.
The Virginia Democrat on July 30 wrote to the IRS after constituents reported processing delays, payment errors, and other complications when the spouse listed as the primary taxpayer changes or when tax payments are submitted using the secondary taxpayer's credentials.
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He asked the agency to clarify why the problems persist and what steps it plans to take to address them.
According to Subramanyam's office, married couples filing jointly provide both spouses' Social Security numbers or Taxpayer Identification Numbers on their returns. However, the IRS primarily associates the return with the taxpayer listed first, which can create complications if couples later reverse the order of their names or if the spouse listed second submits a payment.
The current system can result in lengthy processing delays, errors, and even misplaced payments, the lawmaker's office said. In some cases, couples may face penalties or collection actions because payments are not properly credited.
The issue can become especially burdensome when the primary taxpayer has died, making it difficult or impossible for the surviving spouse listed as the secondary taxpayer to make payments on the couple's behalf.
"It doesn't make any sense that couples who file their taxes together every year need to keep the same person as the designated primary taxpayer or face consequences like long processing delays and errors," Subramanyam said.
"In extreme cases, the couple can face penalties or collection issues. All because they have mistakenly reordered their names on their tax filing or used the wrong person's credentials to pay their tax balance. There must be a better way," he added.
The issue has drawn support from taxpayer advocacy groups, which say the IRS should modernize its systems to better reflect how married couples file and pay taxes.
"We look forward to developing solutions with the IRS to alleviate the questions, legal burdens, and stress faced by many married filing jointly taxpayers who inadvertently listed their names in a different order, or made a payment under the Social Security number of the person listed second on the form," said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union.
"It is crucial for the IRS to address this issue as quickly as possible to make the system work for taxpayers," Sepp added.
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