Mailing tax forms

bbostick81 · ‎January 9, 2021

If I choose to file by mail. Do I have to include my w-2 to the IRS. Or do I just mail the forms Turbo tax issues

mesquitebean · ‎January 9, 2021

The Filing Instructions print with the return, and yes, it should say to attach a copy of your W-2, any 1099-R (if applicable), and other forms showing any withholding.

But why would you want to mail instead of efile? Many folks who mailed their returns last year have seen their 2019 refunds delayed for many months due to the coronavirus pandemic, etc.

Also, even for efiling, it's still too early to be filing a return. While it's technically possible to submit the return, efile has not yet opened up at the IRS, and will not until the last week of January. Any return efiled now will just sit on TurboTax servers until the IRS opens up in late January, except for a very few returns that the IRS pulls early for testing purposes. And it cannot be retrieved from TurboTax if an error is discovered, which would require one to later amend the return, which is a hassle and delays any refund for weeks or months. Each year we see many people who end up with problems because they efiled in early January prior to the IRS opening.

bbostick81 · ‎January 9, 2021

This is not for me but asking for my nephew. He choose not to efile but mail in 2019. He never mailed it off though...smh. He can't find his w-2 but still has his mail in forms. It's only a refund of $62. Also will he get the stimulus checks he missed out on?

mesquitebean · ‎January 9, 2021

@ bbostick81 wrote:
This is not for me but asking for my nephew. He choose not to efile but mail in 2019. He never mailed it off though...smh. He can't find his w-2 but still has his mail in forms. It's only a refund of $62. Also will he get the stimulus checks he missed out on?

On a 2019 return that late, the copy of the W-2 may not be as critical (I'm a fellow user, not a tax expert), since by now the IRS "should" have already received and be aware of the W-2 information from that long ago, so it's likely already in the IRS system. The IRS asks for copies of the W-2 with mailed returns because many people file returns before the IRS receives and processes W-2 data from the employer. In any case, it would be best to include a copy of the W-2 if he finds it, or he can get a copy from the employer, or the IRS might ask for it. If he wanted to check what the IRS shows for him, and if qualifies for an IRS account, the IRS can provide a Wage and Income transcript which shows what Federal W-2 info they received from an employer (won't have any state tax info, though.)

Hopefully, he did have the W-2 when he prepared the return; i.e., that he prepared the return with the info on the actual W-2 copy and not on the basis of paycheck stubs.

People who were otherwise qualified and are due for stimulus checks, but who didn't receive either or both, can reconcile this when filing their current 2020 returns. The stimulus payment(s) will then be provided as part of a 2020 tax refund. Near the end of the interview the 2020 TurboTax software should ask for the info which is called a Recovery Rebate Credit.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/recovery-rebate-credit