How do I confirm the IRS received my 2018 return.

[julieaaronyoung]

My return was printed and mailed from overseas.

[mesquitebean]

You wrote:  "How do I confirm the IRS received my 2018 return. My return was printed and mailed from overseas."

Is this one you're filing late and mailed recently?  Or are you asking about one you mailed last year?

It won't help now, but normally it's best to mail by a method that has tracking.

If a check was enclosed, did the IRS cash the check?

In "normal times" you'd be able to phone the IRS and ask if it was received.  But their call centers are essentially closed down for the time being due to the Coronavirus situation.   Hopefully, they will open up again in the not-too-distant future.  Likewise, most correspondence and processing of paper returns is shut down.

If you're still overseas, the IRS has an International Taxpayer Service Call Center for folks who are out of the country, but it would be shut down in the same situation right now.

https://www.irs.gov/help/contact-my-local-office-internationally

So you're kind of in limbo for a while, unless someone else has a suggestion to add to this thread.

[mesquitebean]

Oh, here's something you might try.    If you haven't yet filed a 2019 return, the "Where's My Refund" tool "might" have info on your 2018 return if you are due a 2018 Federal refund. 

The IRS refund FAQ page says the tool is supposed to have "information on the most recent tax year refund we have on file for you."  

If you haven't filed 2019, then it can't hurt to try, but if it doesn't find your 2018 information, that doesn't necessarily tell you for sure whether they received it or not.  The best way to tell for a past-year return is to ask them.  I'd certainly want to talk to them to confirm first before resending one, which could cause issues if they already have it.

If you only recently mailed the 2018 return, it likely won't show up.   Normally it takes at least 4 weeks for a mailed return to show up in the IRS tool, but any manual procedures are likely further delayed with the Coronavirus situation.   Just saying, since you didn't say "when" you mailed it--last year or recently.

So it only helps you IF it shows up in the tool.  If it doesn't, you still won't know for sure.

IRS "Where's My Refund"

https://www.irs.gov/refunds