TurboTax

File with experts
File your taxes
Experts at your fingertips

An expert helps with your taxes, or does them for you
TurboTax Expert Full Service

TurboTax Expert Assist

TurboTax Self-Employed
Prior year taxes
File myself
File myself
Do it yourself

We'll guide you step-by-step
TurboTax Do It Yourself

TurboTax Self-Employed

TurboTax Desktop
TurboTax Free

Activate your product

Prior year taxes
Business
Business
Business taxes

Get your T2 corporate return done right, your way
TurboTax Business

TurboTax Business Desktop
Tax situations
Tax situations
Tax situations

Find extra guidance for your big life moves
For investors

For 25 and younger

For self-employed

For new to Canada

For life changes
Resources
Resources
Resources

Explore tax tools, get tips, and read reviews
Personal income tax calculator

RRSP savings calculator

Learning hub

TurboTax support (FAQ)

TurboTax community
Pricing

Community

Employee

Solved

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

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
June 8, 2019
13 replies
0 views

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!

TurboTax Deluxe Windows

Best answer by SweetieJean

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.

Show previous replies

Ziganne

It's scary how many other people this has happened to! I first mailed my 2020 Federal and State returns on March 23, 2021. I used Certified Mail. When I didn't get my Federal refund after three months, I tracked them and learned that USPS had lost both packages. There was no insurance, so I had no recourse. I filed both returns again on July 2, 2021, this time via two-day Priority Mail. I received my Federal refund quickly thereafter, but when I tracked the state return, I found USPS had lost it AGAIN. I started to file a claim, but my tax return apparently has no value as far as the post office is concerned. It's a lot of trouble to get a refund for a couple of dollars in mailing fees. Now I must file my state taxes again, this time at the end of July--three months late and four months after I originally filed. It's official--the U.S. Post Office is broken. I've relied on them for decades, never dreamed this could happen. I originally tried to e-file, but my return was rejected twice because of a misplaced decimal that I couldn't change on the electronic version. I'm beyond frustrated.

Gar77

I am sorry to hear this.

The same has happened to us too.

We have always sent our returns USPS Priority Mail with insurance, tracking…

This year they lost our Fed return. I contacted them once we found out that’s why we have not received any return, no help only bad attitude from them. They literally said there is nothing we can do about it, except place a freeze on all three credit files and call the IRS and let them know. USPS is pathetic and not to be trusted with anything anymore.

Good luck with getting in contact with this IRS too. We spent hours attempting to get through to them, waste of time.

I have always been skeptical of e-filling and ended up recently having to do so, because no one can trust the USPS to make a delivery with anything now days, sad days for sure.

If you have a return from the Feds, no worries, just refile, you have three years to file a tax return.

If you owe them money, then you need to talk to a tax professional.

We refiled our return this time by e-file, can’t be worse then trusting USPS by mailing it, and I really don’t think FedEx is any better now days.

Hope this helps.

Ziganne

I thought I must be the only one, but I'm shocked to hear there are others. On my third attempt, I took my return to a mail store. I wanted to use a different delivery service, but they said UPS, FedEx, etc. only handle packages. However, after they sent it through USPS, tracking showed the IRS received my return a few days later. It cost me $7 to mail a 1st class manila envelope but it was worth it.

I had to mail some semi-important papers today, and I felt only dread as I dropped them into the mail slot at the post office. They still haven't resolved the "investigation" into my lost returns from four and two months ago. Even if they do, all I will get is my postage back. I fear the USPS is broken.

ghupp920

No improvement this year.
I mailed our Calif state return on April 6 certified. The tracking has showed it sitting in the Sacramento distribution center with "in transit" status since April 8. Reading this thread I assumed they just failed to do the delivery scan, but I used the USPS tracking site to set up text notification of my delivery anyway.
This morning, April 22, well after tax day, the system texted me that it was delivered this morning. I suppose mine could have been misplaced, but maybe they just held the entire delivery to FTB until 5 days late?? Very disturbing either way.
About a week ago I also used the USPS website to file a "lost mail" complaint. After you submit, a generic message pops up saying essentially "Oh, were your taxes not delivered on time? We often don't do delivery scans. We know this is disappointing. Better check with your tax agency instead to see if they got 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

Employee

@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/01/27010

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-pdf-file

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

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

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**