Sending Tax Return to IRS via certified mail? Courier?
Peter
certified mail or another service requiring signature?
Peter
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Rufus Leaking
> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
simple answer, YES
slightly more complex answer
Watch the date of sending. With US Mail, the post mark on
Cert mail is the date accepted for filing deadline. With
private senders (UPS FedEx, whatever) date they receive it
is date of filing, so it could be late if you send it on the
15th of April....
Dave
"Hid in the reeds are eyes that peek,
voices I don't understand.
Flamingos fly endlessly,
To the silent sky"
A.G. Kalman
> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS with
> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
Yes you can.
Barney Bird
> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS
> with certified mail or another service requiring
> signature?
http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/page/0,,id=10880,00.html
Private delivery services. If you use a private delivery
service designated by the IRS to send your return, the
postmark date generally is the date the private delivery
service records in its database or marks on the mailing
label. The private delivery service can tell you how to get
written proof of this date.
The following are designated private delivery services.
Airborne Express (Airborne): Overnight Air Express Service,
Next Afternoon Service, and Second Day Service.
DHL Worldwide Express (DHL): DHL "Same Day" Service and DHL
USA Overnight.
Federal Express (FedEx): FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx
Standard Overnight, and FedEx 2Day.
United Parcel Service (UPS): UPS Next Day Air, UPS Next Day
Air Saver, UPS 2nd Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air A.M, UPS
Worldwide Express Plus, and UPS Worldwide Express.
Barney Byrd
barne...@msn.com
To contact me directly, use the correct spelling of my last
name in the e-mail address above.
Lesstax
> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS with
> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
You can for your own peace of mind but it only proves that
you sent "something" to the IRS, not what was sent.
ann m doyle
> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS with
> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
Save your money. They will not sign it. and it takes about
a month to get the post card back. Either send by regular
mail or e-file it. Great thing about e-filing, is you have
a statement that they accepted the return with the date
accepted.
Missy
Ed Zollars, CPA
> You can for your own peace of mind but it only proves that
> you sent "something" to the IRS, not what was sent.
While that often gets said, the reality is that certified
mail makes a *major* difference. Because the issue swaps
from proving that you filed the return timely (something
virtually impossible to do otherwise in many Circuits under
decisions of those courts) to the IRS being required to
prove that there *WASN'T* a tax return in the envelope
mailed via certified mail (again, something virtually
impossible for the IRS to prove).
IRC Section 7502(c) provides:
---begin quoted text
(c) Registered and certified mailing; electronic filing.
(1) Registered mail.
For purposes of this section , if any return, claim,
statement, or other document, or payment, is sent by
United States registered mail—
(A) such registration shall be prima facie evidence
that the return, claim, statement, or other
document was delivered to the agency, officer, or
office to which addressed; and
(B) the date of registration shall be deemed the
postmark date.
(2) Certified mail; electronic filing.
The Secretary is authorized to provide by regulations
the extent to which the provisions of paragraph (1)
with respect to prima facie evidence of delivery and
the postmark date shall apply to certified mail and
electronic filing.
---end quoted text
In fact, until July of 1998 certified mailing provided
better evidence of filing than did electronic filing. Only
in 1998 were the last three words added to Section
7502(c)(2).
--
Ed Zollars, CPA
Phoenix, Arizona
William Brenner
problem caused by a return (or a quarterly deposit) being
postmarked a day or two after the due date?
With millions of returns being received at that time, does
IRS actually look at every/any postmark?
Lanny Williams
>> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS with
>> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
> Save your money. They will not sign it. and it takes about
> a month to get the post card back. Either send by regular
> mail or e-file it. Great thing about e-filing, is you have
> a statement that they accepted the return with the date
> accepted.
They won't sign it? What service center do you mail to? I
know that Fresno, Ogden, and Philadelphia all acknowledge
certified/registered mail if you ask for the return receipt.
I am looking at one on a client's 2001 return right now.
Well, maybe, technically, you are right. No one actually
"signed" the receipt but it bears a clearly legible stamp
that says Internal Revenue Service and the date received.
The Post Office cannot deliver accountable mail unless the
recipient signs for it.
--
Lanny K Williams, C P A
Nawarat, Williams & Co., Ltd.
Income Tax Services for Expatriate Americans
Rich Carreiro
> IRC Section 7502(c) provides:
>
> ---begin quoted text
>
> (2) Certified mail; electronic filing.
> The Secretary is authorized to provide by regulations
> the extent to which the provisions of paragraph (1)
> with respect to prima facie evidence of delivery and
> the postmark date shall apply to certified mail and
> electronic filing.
>
> ---end quoted text
So, has the Secretary in fact provided by regulations
that e-filing is prima facie evidence of delivery the
way registered and certified mail are?
--
Rich Carreiro rlc...@animato.arlington.ma.us
Pro-War? Leaning but big reservations. Anti-anti-war-"movement"? Quite.
Hilariousness: http://www.brain-terminal.com/video/nyc-2003-02-15/index.html
TaxmanHog
> Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever had a client with a
> problem caused by a return (or a quarterly deposit) being
> postmarked a day or two after the due date?
>
> With millions of returns being received at that time, does
> IRS actually look at every/any postmark?
Returns received before the deadline: envelope destroyed,
Returns received after the deadline are kept with the
envelope
Receipt & control clerks stamp the return with received date
if the return is posted more than LEM SPECIFIC NUMBER OF
DAYS, these are the returns which get scrutinized.
Milton Baker
CAUTION: Private Delivery Services cannot deliver items to
P.O. Boxes. You must use the U.S. Postal Service to mail any
item to a IRS P.O. Box Address.
Jo Firey
> Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever had a client with a
> problem caused by a return (or a quarterly deposit) being
> postmarked a day or two after the due date?
>
> With millions of returns being received at that time, does
> IRS actually look at every/any postmark?
I'd never name names, but I preparer I knew at one time had
their usual April 15 afternoon party. It had been a bad
year and things got a little more out of hand than usual.
Spouses were called to provide rides home, etc. Imagine
their dismay the next morning to arrive at work, hung over
to see all the returns they were supposed to get to the
postoffice sitting on the front desk.
They mailed the returns and prayed (a lot) as there were
some substantial balance due returns involved as well as
many 1st quarter estimates. There was never any fallout of
any kind.
This was however before the lockbox addresses for balance
dues. I've seen checks to those addresses clear the bank the
day after they were mailed so one might not be so lucky now.
Jo
Bob Sandler
> "Peter" <fres...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS with
>> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
> Save your money. They will not sign it. and it takes about
> a month to get the post card back. Either send by regular
> mail or e-file it. Great thing about e-filing, is you have
> a statement that they accepted the return with the date
> accepted.
They don't have to sign it. You don't even need the return
receipt. Publication 17 says (page 11) "If you send a return
by certified mail and have your receipt postmarked by a
postal employee, the date on the receipt is the postmark
date. The postmarked certified mail receipt is evidence
that the return was delivered."
Drew Edmundson
> "Ed Zollars, CPA" <ezo...@mindspring.com> writes:
>> IRC Section 7502(c) provides:
>>
>> ---begin quoted text
>>
>> (2) Certified mail; electronic filing.
>> The Secretary is authorized to provide by regulations
>> the extent to which the provisions of paragraph (1)
>> with respect to prima facie evidence of delivery and
>> the postmark date shall apply to certified mail and
>> electronic filing.
>>
>> ---end quoted text
> So, has the Secretary in fact provided by regulations
> that e-filing is prima facie evidence of delivery the
> way registered and certified mail are?
Why did you have to get him started again? :)
Drew Edmundson, CPA (NC)
Gene E. Utterback, EA
> Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever had a client with a
> problem caused by a return (or a quarterly deposit) being
> postmarked a day or two after the due date?
>
> With millions of returns being received at that time, does
> IRS actually look at every/any postmark?
When the IRS changed the service center for MD business
returns from Philadelphia to Cincinnati I had a bit of
trouble with extension requests that were mailed via
certified mail on 03/14. The IRS contacted all 25 of my
extended clients to tell them their returns were received
late, they then assessed penalties. I had to write to the
IRS for each client and send a copy of the certified mailing
receipt to prove they were sent on time.
Gene E. Utterback, EA
ann m doyle
> "ann m doyle" <my...@adams.net> wrote:
>> "Peter" <fres...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> Does anybody know if I can send my tax return to IRS with
>>> certified mail or another service requiring signature?
>> Save your money. They will not sign it. and it takes about
>> a month to get the post card back. Either send by regular
>> mail or e-file it. Great thing about e-filing, is you have
>> a statement that they accepted the return with the date
>> accepted.
> They won't sign it? What service center do you mail to? I
> know that Fresno, Ogden, and Philadelphia all acknowledge
> certified/registered mail if you ask for the return receipt.
> I am looking at one on a client's 2001 return right now.
>
> Well, maybe, technically, you are right. No one actually
> "signed" the receipt but it bears a clearly legible stamp
> that says Internal Revenue Service and the date received.
> The Post Office cannot deliver accountable mail unless the
> recipient signs for it.
Lanny, the certified (with return post cards ) that I sent
were not signed or stamped, Just returned. This was to
Kansas City Service Center. The Postmaster in our town said
that they never do sign the post cards. And to top it off,
it took a month to get the post cards back. Another reason
that I e-file everyone that qualifies.
Missy
Ed Zollars, CPA
> So, has the Secretary in fact provided by regulations
> that e-filing is prima facie evidence of delivery the
> way registered and certified mail are?
It depends <grin>. The Secretary has not, as far as I
recall, put those words in the regulations. But they have
issued regulations for efiling that tell you (among other
things) to check out the notices and IRS website, and there
the IRS claims it's "proved" as filed.
That said, I suppose it is still the case that registered
mail is the "cleanest" route (Code based), certified/private
carrier the next (Regulation supported by Code) and efiling
the next. My big problem, though, is that the recipient of
the "proof" for efiling is almost always a third party,
since the proof is the IRS's acknowledgement. But I don't
believe the IRS is likely to litigate a case where the
taxpayer reasonably believed he/she had been given a valid
efiling proof by a third party who appears capable of
handling efiling.
--
Ed Zollars, CPA
Phoenix, Arizona
<< ------------------------------------------------->>
Lesstax
> They don't have to sign it. You don't even need the return
> receipt. Publication 17 says (page 11) "If you send a return
> by certified mail and have your receipt postmarked by a
> postal employee, the date on the receipt is the postmark
> date. The postmarked certified mail receipt is evidence
> that the return was delivered."
>
Why is it proof that a "return" was delivered?
Maybe non filers could send an empty envelope
and claim a return was delivered.
I maintain all it proves is that something was sent to the
IRS.
Seregn
>> They don't have to sign it. You don't even need the return
>> receipt. Publication 17 says (page 11) "If you send a return
>> by certified mail and have your receipt postmarked by a
>> postal employee, the date on the receipt is the postmark
>> date. The postmarked certified mail receipt is evidence
>> that the return was delivered."
> Why is it proof that a "return" was delivered?
>
> Maybe non filers could send an empty envelope
> and claim a return was delivered.
>
> I maintain all it proves is that something was sent to the
> IRS.
I do have the following situation, I hope somebody can help
me out of this.
I sent two tax returns (me and my wife, filing separately)
to Austin office in different packages. I use USPS certified
mail with return receipt services and those packages were
sent on 04/01/03. The first package arrived at the IRS on
04/03/03, I've got the return receipt back and the IRS has
cashed in my check (I owe to the IRS). However, looks like
the second package has lost somewhere, from the USPS
tracking system it says that the package never arrived at
the IRS. The status is still "Package accepted at the
delivery station at 04/01/03". And I also don't see the IRS
has cashed in the second check (my wife also owes to the
IRS).
What should I do ? Should I just wait or should I go ahead
and e-file the second tax return ? Would that be a problem
with IRS if they receive both the mail package and e-file
for the same tax return ?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Seregn
CBotella
> the second package has lost somewhere, from the USPS
> tracking system it says that the package never arrived at
> the IRS. The status is still "Package accepted at the
> delivery station at 04/01/03". And I also don't see the IRS
> has cashed in the second check (my wife also owes to the
> IRS).
>
> What should I do ? Should I just wait or should I go ahead
> and e-file the second tax return ? Would that be a problem
> with IRS if they receive both the mail package and e-file
> for the same tax return ?
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
What I would do is: Make a copy of your wife's return.
Clearly mark it COPY and mail it with your check. Make sure
it is postmarked by 4/15 (tomorrow)! Also put a stop payment
on the first check.