A Tennessee man’s account involving the IRS is going viral after he says the agency accidentally sent him a $20,000 refund, and after he says he spent years trying to return it, he’s faced interest charges because of the error.
Wilson Perry Kirby, 76, is at the center of the story. He is a retired Montgomery County Highway Department worker, according to News Channel 5, which spoke with him about the situation. The interview has since gone viral, with other social media accounts picking it up and sharing the footage. In it, Kirby explains what happened.
The IRS is threatening to seize a Tennessee man's farm after charging him interest on a $20,000 refund it accidentally sent him, which he immediately tried to return.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 23, 2026
Wilson Perry Kirby, 76, says he was accidentally sent $20,000 by the IRS in 2022.
Kirby immediately tried… pic.twitter.com/1UntrdFKa4
Man Gets $20K IRS Refund Accidentally and Says He Wasn’t Able to Return It
Kirby told News Channel 5 that on May 10, 2022, he received a refund from the IRS in the amount of $20,000. He says he attempted to return the money but encountered repeated obstacles and even enlisted the help of an accountant. But to his dismay, he says he was still unable to return the money.
Kirby says he spent years going back and forth with the IRS trying to get the issue resolved, but because, he says, he couldn't return the money, the IRS charged him interest on the amount it had accidentally paid him. He says the agency also kept one of his tax refunds.
After learning he wouldn’t be receiving his tax refund, Kirby told the outlet, “Oh, I cried. It hurt me.”
He also shared that he’s sought help from other people aside from an accountant, saying, “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 says his wife, Norma Jean, who died in August 2024, had been helping him navigate the situation because “she knew how to text” and use a computer. But now he’s been left on his own to deal with the IRS issue, which has been a struggle because he says he doesn’t “even know how to cut it [the computer] on.”
Simple solution: Abolish the IRS.
— Kevin M. Nelson (@KevinMNelsonUSA) July 23, 2026
But with the help of the news outlet, Kirby now says things are looking better and that he expects his next tax refund to actually come to him. “If it hadn’t been for you I wouldn’t of gotten nothing done,” Kirby said of the news outlet.
While many people have experienced their own struggles with the IRS, some of which have been caused by the agency’s own mistakes, some commenters couldn’t help but point to the fact that Kirby never actually returned the money but merely “tried.”
However, another person shared a similar situation, which might explain why Kirby couldn’t return the funds. “That’s like what happened to my buddy, they accidentally paid her too much, won’t accept the money she wants to return to them.... and is now docking it from her paycheck... despite her having the money ON HAND to return to them,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify Kirby's account. The reporting above is based on his interview with News Channel 5 and publicly available information.
