IRS Lost Tax Return?

[rissaf]

My 2020 tax return was rejected. When I went to TurboTax to resolve the issue, it said that the IRS deemed that my 2019 AGI was incorrect. I looked on my 2019 Tax Return, and I had entered it correctly. I followed the prompts to the "Get Transcript" portion of the IRS website, just to ensure what I had matched with what they did. What I discovered, however, was that the IRS says that my return was never filed??

I checked once again on TurboTax, and sure enough, it says that my returns were e-filed and accepted. I found the emails from last year confirming the same things as well. What on earth is going on??

[TerukoL]

Since you have proof that your tax return was filed and accepted, you can contact the IRS so they can inform you how to submit that information to them.  You can also contact TurboTax customer support to have an agent verify that your return was filed and accepted. 

Also, since the IRS is currently showing that they have not yet received your 2019 tax return, you can use the number 0 as the AGI on your 2020 tax return so that you can efile.

[baybells]

The same exact thing happened to us when trying to file for 2020!  They had responded to our 2019 return which was e-filed and asked for a missing form.  We sent them the form and they confirmed that, and the update was that our refund was coming.

Two weeks later: IRS says they never received our 2019 return!  The AGI for 2020 should be "zero?"   How do we get our 2019 refund?  

[MichelleLO]

Please see the below Help Article for an explanation on why some returns have been rejected for an incorrect AGI:
What if I entered the correct AGI and I’m still getting an e-file reject?

[SweetieJean]

The IRS still has a backlog of unprocessed 2019 returns:

Tax refund delay: As tax season heads into the home stretch, some taxpayers are still waiting on the...

[ohmark]

Here it is, May 2022. Filed my 2019 1040 return on time, using TurboTax. TurboTax confirms filing and acceptance by IRS. State tax return filed at same time  and e-filed by TurboTax, has been accepted and processed by the state, shortly after it was filed.

But IRS transcript ever since says no 2019 1040 filed.  Have spoken repeatedly with IRS personnel including Tax Advocate. Latest call was in January, 2022 with IRS rep who answered the 800 phone. Explained situation. She says she can see tax return was filed and received because it has an IRS document number which she can see. She said she could also see it had not been processed. See said she would send inter-agency message to that department notifying them of the problem, and that I would see the return processed in 6-8 weeks.  Needless to say, I've received no subsequent information from IRS that my 2019 tax return has been processed and, once again, my IRS transcript today says no 2019 tax return has been filed.  It's been 16 weeks since the IRS rep told me it would be processed in 6-8 weeks.

Adding insult in injury, about a year ago I succeeded in having an IRS Tax Advocate call me about the situation. But instead of speaking to me, he left a voicemail message with no return contact information (and the phone number of the call was simply right back to the general IRS phone number).  The Tax Advocate told me that it was impossible for him to help me "because you never filed a 2019 tax return."  Can you believe it?

[mesquitebean]

@ohmark  

I'd try phoning the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service again.   You almost certainly will reach a different person.  If they say they won't help you, ask them to transfer you to the IRS.  Sometimes that's a backdoor route to an IRS agent.  

Here's how to contact the local IRS Taxpayer Advocate in your state.  At the following IRS website, find the USA map and click on your state, and it will give you the phone number of your IRS Taxpayer Advocate. 

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-a-Local-Taxpayer-Advocate

or you can phone the national office:   877-777-4778​​​​​​​

If the Taxpayer Advocate Service won't help you,  and if you can't get any updated additional info from the IRS, you might see if your US Congressman's district office can assist.