NATION : 450,000 Tax Refunds Delayed

WASHINGTON — An estimated 450,000 tax-refund checks will be delayed a week because of a computer programming error, the Internal Revenue Service said today.

The agency said the error already has been corrected and added that the problem was nothing like the massive snafu that delayed millions of checks in 1985. “People are going to get their refund checks in the four- to six-week time frame that is typical at this time of the year,” said Ellen Murphy, IRS director of public affairs. But checks for those who filed in the second or third week of January will be mailed Feb. 17, rather than Feb. 10 as planned.