A Tennessee man says he tried to do the right thing after the IRS accidentally sent him a $20,000 tax refund, but according to NewsChannel 5 reporter Hannah McDonald, that decision led to years of frustration, interest charges, and a fight to recover his own refund.
McDonald reported for NewsChannel 5 that Wilson Perry Kirby, a 76-year-old man from Coopertown, Tennessee, received the mistaken refund on May 10, 2022. Kirby said the money was not his, and he tried to return it.
But what should have been a simple fix became a long and exhausting battle.
“She didn’t make a mistake, I didn’t make a mistake, they made a mistake,” Kirby told McDonald, referring to himself and his accountant.
A $20,000 Error Becomes A Years-Long Problem
According to McDonald’s report, Kirby is retired and keeps mostly to himself on his farm in Coopertown. He is plain-spoken, country, and not the kind of person who seems eager to get tangled up with a federal agency.
Yet that is exactly what happened.
Kirby told NewsChannel 5 that four years ago, the IRS sent him a $20,000 tax refund by mistake. Rather than keep the money, he tried to send it back, even with help from his accountant.
That is where the trouble started.
McDonald reported that Kirby ran into one wall after another while trying to return the refund. After years of back and forth, he said the IRS eventually charged him interest on the same money he had been trying to give back.
Then, this year, Kirby said the agency kept his entire refund.
When McDonald asked how much that hurt, Kirby gave a simple answer.
“Oh, I cried. It hurt me,” he said.
That moment is what makes the story land. This was not some clever tax fight involving loopholes or rich people hiding money. It was an older man saying he got money he should not have received, tried to return it, and somehow ended up feeling punished for it.
Kirby Said He Tried Everyone
Kirby told McDonald he reached out to almost everyone he could think of for help.
“I’ve tried the president, governor, mayor, they don’t mind asking you to vote for them, but when you need help you can’t get ahold of nobody,” Kirby said.
In the video report, Kirby said dealing with the system often meant trying to talk to a computer instead of a person. For someone who is not comfortable with technology, that made the experience even harder.
McDonald reported that Kirby lost his wife, Norma Jean, in August 2024. Since then, he has been fighting the IRS battle largely on his own.
“She knew how to text, she got a computer in there. I don’t even know how to cut it on,” Kirby said. “But she stuck by me and I wouldn’t have what I have today.”
That detail adds a quiet sadness to the story. A tax problem is stressful enough when someone has help, records, computer access, and confidence dealing with government offices. Kirby was dealing with it while grieving and while trying to navigate a system that often assumes everyone can handle online forms, phone menus, and long wait times.
The IRS Would Not Discuss The Case
McDonald reported that the IRS would not discuss the specifics of Kirby’s case because of federal privacy law.
That is common in tax matters, but it also creates a strange kind of silence in stories like this. The taxpayer can explain what happened from his side, but the agency often cannot or will not talk through the details publicly.
Still, according to NewsChannel 5, Kirby had documentation showing the IRS acknowledged he received the wrong amount of tax refund on May 10, 2022.
The situation then became less about whether a mistake happened and more about why fixing it took so long, and why Kirby says he ended up being charged interest even after trying to return the money.
This is the part that feels so frustrating. Most people are told to be honest with the government, especially with taxes. But when a person claims he did exactly that and still ended up stuck in years of confusion, it makes the system look backwards.
McDonald Stepped In To Help
NewsChannel 5 introduced the story as part of its “Hannah Can Help” reporting, with McDonald stepping in to untangle the situation and push for answers.
Kirby said things finally began moving after McDonald got involved.
By the end of the month, McDonald reported, Kirby said he expected to receive this year’s refund, which would bring the case to a close.
“And if it hadn’t been for you I wouldn’t of gotten nothing done,” Kirby told McDonald.
McDonald noted that Kirby had also done plenty of advocating for himself throughout the process. He had not simply waited around for someone else to fix it.
Kirby credited part of that to his own stubbornness.
“I’m hard-headed, and I get set in my ways, and I’m that way,” he said.
“Might’ve helped,” McDonald replied.
“Yeah,” Kirby said.
It is a small exchange, but it gives the story some warmth. Kirby’s stubbornness may have been the thing that kept him from giving up when the process dragged on year after year.
A Simple Mistake With A Heavy Cost
At the end of the NewsChannel 5 report, the anchors noted that people having problems with the IRS can contact the local Taxpayer Advocate Service as a good first step. They described it as an independent organization within the IRS that helps taxpayers work through unresolved problems.
That advice matters, because Kirby’s story shows how quickly a paperwork problem can become overwhelming.
A mistaken refund should not become a years-long ordeal. It should not require calls to elected officials, help from a local reporter, and years of stress for an older man who says he only tried to return money that was not his.
There is also a broader lesson here about how modern systems treat people who are not fluent in technology. Kirby said his wife knew how to text and use a computer, while he did not even know how to turn it on. For him, the fight was not just with the IRS. It was with phone systems, digital barriers, and a process that can feel built for someone else.
McDonald’s report leaves the case near a better ending, with Kirby expecting his refund after years of trouble. But the fact that it took this much effort still feels wrong.
Kirby tried to give back $20,000 he believed was sent by mistake. According to his account to NewsChannel 5, doing the right thing led to interest charges, frustration, and the loss of his own refund before help finally arrived.
For Kirby, the issue was not complicated.
The IRS made the mistake, he said. He tried to fix it. And after years of fighting, he just wanted the mess to be over.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
