USPS May Have Lost My Return. How do I proceed?

[RyanH]

Hope someone can help.  I normally electronically file but due to some issues, I had to mail my Federal return to their Ogden UT address.  I sent it with signature confirmation and tracking on April 17th as I had someone helping me that couldn't finish until then. I prefer to file much earlier.

Well, the USPS site shows my tracking number made it to Salt Lake City on the 23 and "was in transit to next facility".  That's IT.  It does not show delivered or signed for.  Now, being a paper return I realize it can take (per the IRS site up to four weeks) for it to get into their system so when I asked the status of my return it claims to have no information. 

I did a UPS trace and they only will say "will be searched for, and if found, forwarded to the address you provided".  NOT HELPFUL.

If the IRS may need a few weeks normally to get my return into their system meaning it's possible it WAS delivered and the post office just didn't scan it upon delivery how do I proceed?   All could be well and it wasn't scanned (which I've seen happen) or my return could be floating around the USPS with lots of great personal information inside. 

I can't believe it.  The ONE year I have to mail a paper return is the one time I have sent something USPS with signature confirmation (which I have done with other documents often without issue) and it vanishes. 

I am lost as to what to do. Sit and pray or take some action. If so, what? Thanks!

[SweetieJean · Accepted solution]

it's possible it WAS delivered and the post office just didn't scan it upon delivery 

Yes, that is possible.  I would wait another week or two, and see if it shows up on the IRS website.  There is no penalty if you are getting a refund.

[RyanH]

Thank you. Yes, I was getting a decent refund and did beyond my personal information floating around the USPS (still scary) what the IRS would say if a couple weeks from now they still didn't seem to have it and I mailed a new copy.  They would assume I'm filing a month late, right?  You can't exactly attach a note with the prior tracking and explanation someone will read.

[macuser_22]

If you are getting a refund it does not matter - there is no penalty for filing a refund late.   You just don't get the refund until they get the return.    If you owe and are assessed a penalty then your PO receipt is proof of timely filing and the penalty will be abated.   You wait for the penalty to be assessed and then challenge the penalty with the proof of mailing - you don't send the proof with your return.

[kunchakarra2000]

HI, I have the same issue this year. I had to post in by mail. Federal tax reached safely but state tax didn't. Is it simply a delay? Did you get a refund?

[adele_m]

I have the same issue this year. I called USPS, and they said "we probably delivered it but forgot to scan it." Gee, thanks. Helpful. What happens if it is really lost, do I have to re-file? How do I let the IRS know what happened so I don't get any penalty?

[marib8991!]

This is exactly happening with me right now I send my fedeal taxes 2 weeks ago which is was on 27th of january and I still got my usps tracking number I send though post office and I even payed extra to get delivered when I send it said on instruction to send it to ogden ut and I did I send it so now it's been weeks I been checking on irs website see where my refund is nothing popped up so then I put my tracking number and I checked it said ....IN TRANSIT TO NEXT FACILITY so what does that means does it means same thing that they might forgot to sing it or what I got my state taxes but not my federal and it's been since january 27th they were supposed to get on Monday but still said same thing IN TRANSIT and it's like how do I know if I am gettin my taxes or anything 

[anonymousCA]

This exact same thing happened to me too. 

• USPS just shows "in Transit".
• When I check my return status it shows no record that I filed a tax return.

I mailed both FED and STATE, only 1 was lost.  The return that was not lost, also showed 2 additional scans after the in transit scan:  (1) "arrived at post office for delivery, and then (2)  "delivered". So it looks like in transit means the return never even made it to the post office.  

Can anyone above clarify what ultimately happened?  Did USPS find your return or did you end up refiling?

@marib8991!

 @adele_m @kunchakarra2000 @RyanH 

[hjcatt]

I am wondering the same thing! I'm in the same exact situation. Mailed State and Federal from Portland, Oregon on March 30th. My State made it April 3rd and had all the scans. My federal made it to Salt Lake City, UT and now just says "In Transit to Next Facility". Super frustrating because that Federal return is critical for me qualifying for the $1,200 stimulus check (I was a dependent in 2018). 

If anyone is frustrated and wants to chat about having this issue or has an update please email me at [email address removed]!

Here is the reply I got from USPS after I filed a lost mail claim: 

This is in response to your inquiry regarding the delivery of a package. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience this matter may have caused you.

The Postal Service is aware of the frustration and disappointment caused when we do not live up to our commitment of safe and reliable mail service. 

The IRS receives 10,000 – 20,000 traceable mailpieces (i.e. Certified, Delivery Confirmation, etc.) per day. During peak season this number can increase as high as 75,000. Due to the large volume of mail, it is possible that some scans are missed. Due to the IRS processing facilities consolidations, more filings are being processed through the Salt Lake plant than ever. USPS is aware of the scanning issues and is actively working to correct this for upcoming filing periods.

Regarding Certified/Tracking  9500 1146 0367 0090 5147 13; we have reviewed the scan history and the last data available is from 04/01/2020, when it was scanned at our Auxiliary Sorting Facility in Salt Lake City, UT which is assigned zip code 84198. We estimate it was delivered to the IRS on 04/03/2020. It most likely was sorted directly to a bin destined to the IRS in Ogden, UT 84201, and missed its final scans. This can sometimes happen when the machines are sorting high volumes of mail. Unfortunately, because we failed to provide the tracking service that you paid for, we suggest you take the following steps:
                                             
1.       In the absence of a final delivery scan, the USPS can provide a refund of the Certified Mail or Delivery Confirmation fees only. 
2.       If you purchased a green Return Receipt card, but haven’t received it; please allow extra time. This year Return Receipts have been taking an extended time to be returned from the IRS. The IRS does log in every mailpiece but due to the consolidations and now COVID-19 staffing issues, it is taking an unknown amount of time for the IRS to show an item in their internal tracking. 
3.       Please contact the IRS directly.  The IRS’s phone numbers are: 
a.       Personal Return call [phone number removed];               
b.      Business Returns or filings call [phone number removed].
c.       Customers can also go to www.irs.gov to get a status on their submitted filing even if you are not expecting a refund. 
4.       To request a refund for services not rendered, please complete a PS Form 3533 at your local Post Office, provide a copy of this correspondence, along with your original receipt. You can also request a refund on www.usps.com under the Help menu.

An apology is no substitute for good service, but I want to offer one on behalf of the Postal Service.  We appreciate your reporting this matter to us.  It helps to know the kinds of difficulties our customers have so we can work toward improvements.  The information you have provided will be shared with management as they continue their efforts to improve service performance in your area.

Thank you for the opportunity to address this matter with you.  

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lucas

Complaints & Inquiry Clerk

[cheney19]

My check was supposedly mailed on February 26th. I still have not recieved it. Its been longer than 10 weeks and I still cant seem to get an answer.. Please help

[CatinaT1]

This is something only the IRS or USPS can help you with.  TurboTax has no control over your refunds.

[hjcatt]

Except that the IRS cannot help as offices are closed and no live person is there to take calls. I'm simply seeing if there are updates to other people's situations that are the same as mine. It seems like this is a common problem right now. 

[hjcatt]

That's rubbish. Have you been able to use the function on IRS website 'Where's my Refund?" ? 

[anonymousCA]

I got a similar response from USPS, they said that most tax returns are "accountable mail" that has to get signed for by tax agents directly at the USPS sorting facility, however in my case: 

"Your item appears to have slipped through Postal automation and in with the regular First Class Mail without receiving its finalized delivered scan. When items slip through, however, there will not be a delivery record we can provide you. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes. Our employees attempt to cull out the accountable mail from the regular First Class Mail, however, some are missed.
  
Please retain your mailing receipt as you may use your mailing receipt as proof of mailing.   We advise that if your item has no other scans after (30) days from the time of mailing with receipt, you are entitled to a refund from any Post Office for services not rendered, which in this case will be your additional Certified Fees Paid for the failed delivery scan."

And the email from USPS goes on to give me a phone number to call about confirming receipt of my tax return (must happen often if they have a number on file).  Check my refund status still shows no record of my filing a 2019 return. 

[gliekert]

I am in a similar position.  Today I spent over 4 hours talking to our local post office and trying to obtain a phone number for the Fresno processing facility where the last scan occurred.  The PO agent was sympathetic but totally unhelpful.  The number he gave me rings for about 90 seconds and then disconnects.  So...at the suggestion of the USPS Consumer Affairs Associate who wrote "please do not hesitate to contact me for any future questions or concerns," I called the number at the bottom of her reply email entitled "Your USPS Service Request #xxxxxxxx Has Been Resolved!"  At present I have called 5 times and spent over an 100 minutes on hold -- to no avail.  Resolved?  Maybe resolved in her mind, not in mine.  As others have noted, having sensitive information (especially SSNs) floating somewhere in California is anxiety-producing.  Further, had our refund been processed timely, our stimulus payment would have been based on 2019 AGI which was substantially less than 2018.  The discrepancy being $1,948 versus the $348 received.  I suppose I will need to refile.  And what happens if the lost return is finally delivered?  Google searches produce no information about such an event.  With IRS offices closed and telephone lines unstaffed, I am frustrated!!!!!!!  Online tools are no substitute for human interaction.