IRS cashed the payment check but no tax return was received?

[HEL1040]

I am so glad I found this.  I filed and paid my 2019 taxes by mail in July 2020.  They cashed my over $4,000 check right away.  My account when I look it up on IRS website says “no record of return filed”.  I actually called the IRS last week and held for 2 hours.  The woman I spoke with told me there was no record.  Then I realized, I file jointly!  Gave her husbands info and she says that all the info was under his name.  But that makes no sense because we have always filed jointly and all the previous years returns showed up under my account.  I say this and she assures me it’s under his name.  But I forgot I had requested copies of both our accounts by mail.  They just came today.  It says they have no record for either of us.  I am guessing this is why I didn’t get a second or third stimulus.  Is there any advice someone has?  I am going nuts with this.  Also, this is the first time in over 20 years that I didn’t keep a copy.  I think my printer wasn’t working or something (I’m always last minute).  Thanks for any advice.

[HEL1040]

I am so glad I found this.  I filed and paid my 2019 taxes by mail in July 2020.  They cashed my over $4,000 check right away.  My account when I look it up on IRS website says “no record of return filed”.  I actually called the IRS last week and held for 2 hours.  The woman I spoke with told me there was no record.  Then I realized, I file jointly!  Gave her husbands info and she says that all the info was under his name.  But that makes no sense because we have always filed jointly and all the previous years returns showed up under my account.  I say this and she assures me it’s under his name.  But I forgot I had requested copies of both our accounts by mail.  They just came today.  It says they have no record for either of us.  I am guessing this is why I didn’t get a second or third stimulus.  Is there any advice someone has?  I am going nuts with this.  Also, this is the first time in over 20 years that I didn’t keep a copy.  I think my printer wasn’t working or something (I’m always last minute).  Thanks for any advice.

[JohnChastain]

You won't get a "stimulus check" unless IRS has a record that you filed a return last year. And you can't E-file this year unless IRS has processed your last year's return. If you owe tax, IRS will immediately cash your check and note that it was "received with return," but will not update your record with the return.

[Thomasg621]

Couple of things, one if you filed with Turbo Tax you can use your log in information and reprint your past taxes, or you can go into the down load section of your computer and there should be a copy there.  2 if your filing this years and have not done so yet you can efile by simply going back to your return and when you get to the part that tells you to put in your last years AGI, Adjusted Gross Income put in 0 for both of you.  They will then accept your return and e-file it.  There a a multitude of posts here that show where people like myself have done that.  I too have yet to have my 2019 taxes show up in my account, but my 2020 taxes are there because I used the 0 AGI.  On your e file return where they ask you for this information its simply a verification the IRS computer uses to know you are you.  When you put in 0 it thinks your a first time filler and just takes your return.  There is nothing wrong with doing this, you are not cheating or doing anything illegal.  There are over 26 million 2019 taxes yet to be posted.  Scan through all of these posts and you will see where someone posted a link to that information. Good Luck

[Critter-3]

If you did not receive your first and/or second stimulus payment or if the amount received is not correct, you can claim it on your 2020 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit. 

  

In TurboTax Online, to claim the Recovery Rebate credit please do the following: 

1. Sign into your account and continue from where you left off 
2. Click on Federal in the left-hand column, then on Federal Review on the top of the screen 
3. On the next page titled Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount, click on Continue 
4. Follow the interview 
5. TurboTax will determine whether you are entitled to any additional stimulus 
6. Any stimulus amount remaining due to you will show as a credit on line 30 of your form 1040. 

[Thomasg621]

John That is completely false.. I put in 0 on this years 2020 AG....I E filed by doing that and my return was accepted, Our refund was put in our account on March 10th... plus we got our Stimulus check, $2,400 deposited in our account when the first batches went out.  We also did not get a stimulus check for 2019 due to the non filing status but when we did our 2020 taxes we were given credit  for the stimulus that did not come.  So I have no idea where you got your information but its completely wrong. 

[JohnChastain]

I "got my information" from IRS and TurboTax. BTW, the $0 AGI trick doesn't work all the time, at least not the 4 times I've tried it.

[Thomasg621]

If you filed jointly you need to put the 0 in both of your AGI,  thats the most common mistake.  There are dozens of posts in this posting subject who did it and it worked 

[JohnChastain]

What's the 1040 line number for spouse's AGI? I only see one AGI line (line 8b) on my form.

[DoninGA]

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@JohnChastain wrote:

What's the 1040 line number for spouse's AGI? I only see one AGI line (line 8b) on my form.

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If you filled the 2019 federal tax return as Married Filing Jointly then the 2019 AGI is the same for the both of you.

[JohnChastain]

Understood. I guess I meant to ask: When filling out a return on TurboTax, where do you indicate the spouse's AGI? The s/w only figured a single amount to be entered on the 1040. Likewise when trying the "0" trick: there's only one place to replace the actual figure with zero. 

[Thomasg621]

Its the same but when you fill out the form and are ready to E file it shows both if you both worked. AGI is an adjusted gross income for each of you as I dont think you both made the exact same money... the front of your income tax it shows the combined total but where you efile it has a section for each of you, each has to be changed to zero to make it workl

[Thomasg621]

The problem is this, the unfiled taxes the 1040, if you have not printed them to mail will show your 1040 in the format of how it looks filling it out.  Once you print it to mail it that form is no longer available, you can only see your completed tax's and they can not be changed, but if its in its original filling out form you should have gotten a notice that says you can not file as the AGI does not match...it then says No Problem We can fix that... go to the fix it page and you will come up and you then put 0 in... you will then see an option to continue or if you scroll down it should show you a spot to click on your wife's name... click it and then change hers. 

[jrec21a]

If you're doing a joint return the AGI would be the total of both spouses not each one separately. 

[HEL1040]

The bigger problem for me is that my AGI in 2019 was under $150,000.  But I am pretty sure it’s going to be over $150,000 for 2020.  If the IRS uses my 2019 AGI, the third payment itself would be $5600.  If they use 2020 AGI, it will be significantly lower.  So I really wanted them to use 2019.  I can’t find a copy of my 2019 1040.  It is so unlike me because I save these things.  I am so frustrated with myself.