Erin Slowey

(Bloomberg Law) -- The IRS will deny tens of thousands more pandemic-era employee credit claims it deems potentially fraudulent in the coming weeks, as it remains in a holding pattern for processing new claims, the agency said Thursday.

Legislation to regulate tax return preparers will have its “best chance” this year, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said Tuesday.

The IRS has recovered more than $1 billion from millionaires who failed to pay their tax debts, doubling the total collected from its last update earlier this year.

Taxpayers can now check the status of their audits and tax refund, and get access to lien information without having to call the IRS—all improvements that came about from tax-and-climate law funding, the IRS said.

The IRS will start processing some of the pandemic-era tax credit claims that previously were put on pause.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel plans to fulfill his full five-year term at the agency no matter who wins the presidential election in November.

IRS delays in processing the pandemic-era business tax credit will be a “cost-savings to the government” even as interest accrues on unpaid claims, the agency said in its response to a watchdog report Wednesday.

Democratic lawmakers want the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute tax preparation companies they say illegally shared taxpayer data.