Tens of millions of Americans could receive refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for COVID-era interest charges and penalties on late filings or missed payments—if they submit claims by Friday. A federal judge ruled in November in the case Kwong v. United States that tax filing and payment deadlines should have been postponed for the duration of the COVID-19 disaster declaration plus an added sixty days, a roughly 3.5-year period spanning from Jan. 20, 2020, through July 10, 2023. That could mean taxpayers are entitled to refunds for penalty charges or interest they incurred during that time.Importantly, it’s not yet certain if those refunds will ever come, or when; the government is currently appealing the judge’s ruling. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department Ken Kies