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.
