@jordanlbailey wrote:
answering my own question I have since talked to tax professional as well as the bank(Charles Schwab) where is have the IRA as long as the check was postmarked on april 18 it can be applies to the previous year.
In my example I wanted to contribute money for 2021 tax. I was able to sign up for the account and mail it by the 18th and I applied for the 2021 tax year granted this may be different for different banking institutions but in my case it all worked out.
To you specifically, I suggest you double-check the transaction once it posts, and make sure CS really does it that way. If you didn't use certified mail, and CS posts the contribution for 2022, you likely have no recourse to complain, and no way to prove the postmark since it left your hands, and the IRS will treat it as a 2022 contribution, not 2021, no matter what they told you over the phone.
To anyone else reading this, please don't make contributions at the last minute, you really should allow 3 business days minimum for bank transfers and 10 days for mailed checks. If the broker records the contribution for the new year instead of the past year, you have almost no way of contesting that with the broker or the IRS.
