CBS Atlanta gets action for Riverdale man with tax mistake - CBS Atlanta 46
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A man in Riverdale had to pay thousands of dollars in taxes that he said he didn't owe after his tax preparation service admitted to making a mistake on his tax forms.
But just one day after CBS Atlanta News aired the man's story, he learned he would be receiving a refund.
On Thursday, Les Killion told CBS Atlanta News that the IRS informed him recently of the costly error made by a tax preparer at Jackson Hewitt in 2010.
The tax service, located at 6380 Tara Blvd., entered about $25,000 of his annual income into a self-employment category on a form, even though his W-2's indicated he was employed by the Clayton County School system.
"I was not self-employed at all. The only work I did was around the house and my wife didn't pay me for that," said Killion.
As a result of what happened, Killion said he was required to pay the government $8,901. So, he set up a payment plan with the IRS. Killion said he paid more than $3,500 before learning about the error.
Once the mistake was brought to his attention, he had another tax preparer look at his taxes and determine he only owed the government about $1,900.
"I took all this paper down to Jackson Hewitt and told them about it. I bought the Gold Guarantee which is suppose to pay for this and I got a letter saying no it doesn't cover any of this," said Killion.
CBS Atlanta News questioned a manager at Jackson Hewitt on Thursday and she said they were waiting on Killion to give them a form from the IRS to proceed with the claim.
"Are you guys going to reimburse him for this mistake?" asked CBS Atlanta Reporter Adam Murphy.
"If it's a mistake on our part, Jackson Hewitt will stand by it," said Jackson Hewitt manager Sherri Dupard-Young. "We found the error, but he had already gone to someone else and got his taxes prepared.
After admitting to the mistake on camera, CBS Atlanta News asked Dupard-Young how Jackson Hewitt planned to handle the more than $3,000 in interest and penalties that Killion said he incurred. A corporate spokesperson said Jackson Hewitt is investigating.
On Friday, CBS Atlanta News learned that Killion would be receiving a refund of $450 from Jackson Hewitt for his tax preparation fees, and the IRS would be sending him a refund as well.
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