Does anyone know a way to confirm if the IRS has received and process your tax return if you sent a hardcopy in the mail?
It seems like a simple question, but a google search only shows results for checking the status of a refund. I owed money, so I sent a check with my returns.
I know that I can check my bank account and watch for the check to clear, but this really doesn't confirm anything. I had a friend who used an accountant to file a tax return seven years ago, and sent a check along with the return. Seven years later, the IRS informed him they never received his return. It went under audit, and he was eventually fined $50,000 for failing to submit a tax return.
His argument was that the IRS cashed his check, so it must have received the return. They argued back that the check could have been a quarterly payment being submitted, rather than the final payment for the year. Even when he produced a set of returns showing that the amount of the check matched the return amount, they still refused to accept it. They said he could have fudged his returns to get the amount to match the check. In the end, he fought and fought, hired an attorney, and still was fined $50,000. And they just helped themselves to the money from his bank account without his approval.
So after hearing about that story, and having to file my returns via paper this year, I'm a bit paranoid about all of this. Is there any official way to confirm a return was received and accepted?