IRS claiming falsely that I haven't paid my taxes.

[rteastham]

Pretty straightforward. I paid my taxes by debit card on July 25. Today I got a notice dated August 4 saying I still owe the full amount. How is this possible? Does anyone actually check these things?

[VolvoGirl]

Does your bank account show the payment actually coming out?  Maybe you entered the card number wrong.  Send  them a copy of you bank account showing the payment.  Or maybe it got applied to next year as a 2021 Estimated payment?

[rteastham]

Yes it does. I absolutely did not apply it as an estimated payment for next year. I guess I will just have to call and arrange to send them a clip showing the payment came out if that will even work.

[VolvoGirl]

How did you pay it?  Did you pay it online directly at the IRS?  Maybe they applied it to the wrong ssn.  Good luck calling the IRS.  You probably can't get through.  The letter should say what to do and how to dispute it.  Maybe there's a phone number on the letter or where to send your proof.

[rteastham]

I paid it by debit card on their website through one of the payment services they use. I think it was PayUSATax. The letter just has the phone number and a caller ID for me. No specifics about actions I can take. I have called them once before and it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The stories I had heard made me think it would be like talking to a wall. This just has me kind of panicked because it's a lot of money if I can't convince them I already paid it.

[Mike9241]

it is possible that the notice was prepared before the IRS recorded your payment. before going through the trouble of sending the IRS documentation I would check my tax account transcript or record of account transcript.

To register and use this service, you need:

your SSN, date of birth, filing status and mailing address from latest tax return,
access to your email account,
your personal account number from a credit card, mortgage, home equity loan, home equity line of credit or car loan, and
a mobile phone linked to your name (for faster registration) or ability to receive an activation code by mail.

  https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript 

[mesquitebean]

As Champ Mike9241 said above, with the dates being that close, that notice may have already been in the works when you paid or soon after, before it was fully processed.

If you are able to establish the IRS account as Champ Mike9241 described above, then your main IRS account also has a section that shows any payments that have been credited to your account.  

https://www.irs.gov/payments/view-your-tax-account

[Critter-3]

I agree with the most likely case is that the IRS notice was generated before the payment was acknowledged ... the IRS is a big machine which works slowly and the billing dept  and the accounts receivable dept may not update with  each other in real time ... there is always timing  delays in a big complicated aging computer system.  

[rteastham]

I will probably need to talk to someone to find out for sure. I haven't been able to get the transcript because they haven't been able to verify the credit card, student loan, auto loan numbers, etc. I don't know why that is, but thanks everyone for your help.

[nikesyrena]

Don't waste your time calling.  Send a letter with a copy of the receipt.  Reference your SS# on your return and the notice number and send your response where they tell you to send it on the notice from the IRS.  Certified mail RRR is better.

[Critter-3]

Agreed ... if you really want to address the notice simply send back a note saying you already paid with a copy of the proof attached to a copy of the notice. 

And even if you cannot get  account access  right away they also give you the option to get a code in the mail to complete the application with the IRS ... DO IT ... once you have an account you can access your IRS info at anytime ... it is free and forever.