Unexpected IRS refund checks--anyone else?

[curt1]

This week, two clients received small unexpected checks from the IRS.  Both were labeled as 'tax refund'.  Both clients had overpayments and requested zero refunds with small amounts applied ahead to 2020.  The amounts refunded did not correlate to the amounts applied to 2020 so we're baffled.

Letters of explanation have not arrived from the IRS and the taxpayers can't get through over the phone.  Status of the returns per the IRS website says "still processing your return".

The checks look legit but it could be a scam.  Has this happened to anyone else recently?  Any advice besides not depositing the checks yet?

[User FIDO 61]

Scam Alert: IRS Urges Taxpayers to Watch Out for Erroneous Refunds; Beware of Fake Calls to Return M...

• If the erroneous refund was a direct deposit
• If the erroneous refund was a paper check and hasn't been cashed
• The erroneous refund was a paper check and you have cashed it

See above link to IRS site for details

[curt1]

Thanks, I saw that post but I was wondering if this was part of a larger trend.  Hopefully others will weigh in as well.

[RollTide68]

What year were the refunds for? 

Small math error due to programming could generate a small refund check from a prior year maybe?

[sjrcpa]

Yea - for 2018 there was the Schedule D tax calculation that IRS had wrong, but I thought everyone's 2018 returns would have been corrected by now..

[curt1]

One of the checks says '12/2019 refund'.  The clients didn't have any cap gains.  The only thing they had in common were the application of overpayments to 2020.  Thanks for weighing in.