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

[gretchhub]

If you see that your check cleared then you know the IRS has received your tax return.  Not processed it, that can take forever, so it won't show up in the IRS system, but the money, they process that right away.  It is the only way to know they got the return.  The post office is in big trouble because there are too many Republicans in the Senate.  They put in a lame duck change requiring funding pension benefits 75 years out.  That means funding benefits for people who are not even born yet.  There is no US company that can survive doing that.  It needs to be repealed but the Senate rules allows a minority to block any legislation.  The Dems need at least 60 Senators, a house majority and the president to get anything done.  This batch of Republicans seem hell bent on destroying anything that actually worked in the US government.  The USPS is one government agency that does not add to the deficit, guess they had to kill it.

[earth2rox]

Just a few weeks ago I found out all of my tax forms from 2021 and 2022 were lost in the mail on the way to my accountant.  Of course, this year I didn’t make copies of my forms so I’m at a loss of where to begin.  Can you help?

[xmasbaby0]

@earth2rox So-----are you saying that you did not file your 2021 and/or 2022 returns at all?   What exactly did you do?  Did you prepare and print them and then mail them to an accountant who was then supposed to follow through with them?   You did not e-file them?   At this point, the only way your 2021 or 2022 returns can be filed is by printing, signing and dating them, and mailing them to the IRS (and the state).    When you mail tax returns, use a mailing service like certified mail so you know they were received.

If you used online TurboTax you can print them again and submit them by mail yourself or send them again to your accountant if you need to.   If you do not owe or are getting a refund, there is no penalty for filing past the deadline.  If you owe tax due, your late penalties and interest have begun to add up.

When you mail a tax return, you need to attach any documents showing tax withheld, such as your W-2’s or any 1099’s.  Use a mailing service that will track it, such as UPS or certified mail so you will know the IRS/state received the return.

Federal and state returns must be in separate envelopes and they are mailed to different addresses.  Read the mailing instructions that print with your tax return carefully so you mail them to the right addresses.

  You have to access your own account and/or  print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/270...

Many people have multiple TT accounts and forget how to access them.  Log out of the account you are in now.

Account Recovery

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901535-forgot-your-turbotax-online-user-id-or-password

Or did you use the desktop version of TurboTax?  If so, the files are on your own hard drive or any backup device you used like a flash drive.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901486-how-many-turbotax-accounts-do-i-have

To get a copy of your previously filed returns prepared with online TurboTax https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900748-how-do-i-get-a-copy-of-a-return-i-filed-in-turbotax-online

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901659-find-your-tax-data-file-in-mac

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900721-find-your-tax-data-file-tax-file-in-windows

SAVE YOUR TAX RETURN !

EVERY year before mid-October you should save a copy of your tax return as a pdf and print a copy of it for your records.  That way you will not be searching online frantically when you need it for a lender, FAFSA forms, your next tax return, etc. 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900937-why-should-i-save-a-pdf-copy-of-my-return

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899779-what-s-the-difference-between-the-tax-data-file-and-the-pd...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1912466-how-do-i-save-my-return-as-a-pdf-in-the-turbotax-software-... •

NOTE:  TurboTax and the IRS save return for seven years.  Returns older than seven years are purged.

[veg1]

Hi, my partner also has the "in transit" message for tracking for certified mail for federal and state return in a USPS distribution center in Utah. It's been two months! For those that had that happen, what ended up happening? Why is mail in transit and did IRS receive it? Not sure what to do. We filed a missing mail report. 

[JamesG1]

Retain all of your certified mail receipts and screenshots of the USPS tracking your mailing piece.  At some point, the USPS tracking website may no longer report on your mailing piece.

If your tax return is never received or acknowledged by the IRS, you will have to re-construct and re-submit your paper-filed Federal 1040 income tax return.

You are able to print out another copy of your Federal 1040 income tax return by returning to your TurboTax account.  Hopefully, you retained copies of your W-2's and IRS form 1099-R which are required to accompany your paper-filed tax return if they report Federal income taxes withheld.

If you submit a replacement Federal 1040 income tax return, enclose a cover letter explaining the missing mail piece and including copies of the certified mail receipts and other evidence of your prompt filing.

The IRS may consider Federal 1040 income tax returns that report a balance due to be past due and subject interest and penalties.

Federal 1040 income tax returns that report refunds, may not be subject to penalties.  You must file your return to claim a refund within three years of the tax return due date.

See also here.

@veg1 

[TaxQuestion99]

April of 2024 and this is still a problem with the USPS and the tax authorities.

Both my Federal and State return were required to be mailed due to an IRS policy making my returns ineligible for e-file. Both of my returns were mailed using Certified Mail and both tracking numbers currently show “in transit” after leaving my local post office.

Read this entire thread, spoke to the local post office, and called and spoke with a lead agent at the USPS - it can only be speculated that when tax returns are mailed “Certified" they sometimes get tossed in with First Class and other categories, etc. during sorting that they don’t get scanned.  That leaves two possibilities: 1) It’s still in transit and on its way and even possible it has already been delivered, but just not signed for; or 2) It’s really lost in the mail.

Either way, you can only keep checking the USPS tracking number and checking with your state tax board’s return/refund status website and the IRS’s return/refund website. It takes approximately 6-8 weeks for the IRS and your state tax board’s website to show the status of your return, if it’s been received.

Filing a service request or claim with the USPS won't yield any worthy results, but you might be entitled to a refund of the Certified fee for however much you paid for the tracking number.

Either way, it’s waiting game so hold onto and make copies of your Certified receipts and your USPS receipt if you have to refile and explain why you're refiling. Also, make sure you have copies of the returns you mailed and any supporting documents you sent with them.