just to clarify, the IRS processes returns in the order received, regardless of tax year, and state they have now processed all returns received through Dec, 2021.
While that means they are just beginning to process 2021 tax year paper filed returns (as obviously, they couldn't be sent in any earlier than January, 2022), that doesn't mean they have completed all 2020 paper filed tax returns.
if someone filed a 2020 tax return by paper during 2022, it is in the backlog; it has not been processed.
