Who still files income tax via snail mail?

[Markola]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras

That’s the one. I pity the interns in that place!

[RobbieB]

Interns? I see only 1 poor guy in the back...

[O2Bfree]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras

Reminds me of the closing scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark!

[athena53]

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Originally Posted by braumeister Just FYI, I have read that some mailbox keys (keys to the big blue deposit boxes on sidewalks) will open as many as a dozen different boxes in an area. So if someone can steal a key (happens all the time) they have access to quite a few of them.

It's worse than that. In my area thieves "go fishing" at night in the big blue boxes with a string and something at the end that will hook or snag envelopes. Any checks they get will be "washed" and made out to someone else for a different amount, or the routing and account detail stolen. Mail with nothing interesting, I suppose, gets thrown out. I never use those boxes- I go inside.

I've had the same experience as Cathy63 with the "free" e-file programs- I think I get kicked out because of my investments even though they're not anything exotic.

And... my wonderful state just sent me a letter asking for copies of the cancelled checks for my installment payments. I got on Fidelity and found the images but now I need to print them out and send them to the state. They didn't even give me a return envelope. Not sure how I could have circumvented that problem when I e-filed- no way to include attachments.

[O2Bfree]

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Originally Posted by athena53 It's worse than that. In my area thieves "go fishing" at night in the big blue boxes with a string and something at the end that will hook or snag envelopes. Any checks they get will be "washed" and made out to someone else for a different amount, or the routing and account detail stolen. Mail with nothing interesting, I suppose, gets thrown out. I never use those boxes- I go inside.

The blue mail boxes at the post office near me have been broken into a couple times, so I alway drop mail in the slot inside.

I've also seen these particular boxes get so stuffed with mail that you could actually reach into the slot and pull letters out. Why people would continue to stuff letters in there is beyond me. Maybe they think the boxes are somehow magically protected by the government?

[Markola]

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Originally Posted by RobbieB Interns? I see only 1 poor guy in the back...

That’s what a freshman looks like after a summer in that room.

[foxfirev5]

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Originally Posted by scrabbler1 For the first time in around 20 years, I was due a federal refund for 2021, and a rather large one ($745), because the actual ACA premium subsidy greatly exceeded what I got, some of it due to the ARP. To better monitor the very slow progress of getting the refund, I set up an IRS account. I filed on paper in February 2022 but didn't get the refund (direct-deposited) until July, with a few bucks in interest. When I file my 2022 return later this month, owing again, I will use the account I set up (like what you did) to make the payment when I mail out my paper return. I never tried this before, but I assume it is easier than making the payment via DirectPay because a payment using my IRS account will already have my personal information in it, not that DirectPay was difficult. Is there anything you can tell me in advance I should watch out for?

Using my IRS account has been simple and I see the payment listed for this year as well as prior payments. I do see both Direct Pay and IRS account payments for prior years. So I guess it doesn't really matter .No issues so far either way.

[Koolau]

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Originally Posted by kgtest Had to file my State Business Income tax by mail. My state wouldn't let me e-file that for some reason.

I had to file in my old state because of the family business (now sold.) They too did not have e-file. But I always had to pay, so I didn't much care if it took a while for them to review my return. Never had a problem with it. Now that I'm no longer filing, I hope they don't "miss" me and wonder why I'm not filing. We did tell the state that the business no longer exists, so hope that is all they need.

[braumeister]

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Originally Posted by O2Bfree I've also seen these particular boxes get so stuffed with mail that you could actually reach into the slot and pull letters out. Why people would continue to stuff letters in there is beyond me. Maybe they think the boxes are somehow magically protected by the government?

That has always been common in my area in December. They get stuffed full with greeting cards, to the point that if you go to one first thing in the morning, the overflow is on the ground because people just had to get their cards "in the mail".

[Winemaker]

I always owe to Feds and state. They have guards at post office to escort my returns so they can cash my check ASAP.

[Koolau]

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Originally Posted by Winemaker I always owe to Feds and state. They have guards at post office to escort my returns so they can cash my check ASAP.

Right, back in the day, when we filed on the last night, USPS uniformed folks waited on a circle close to the mail boxes and took envelopes from folks in cars and put them in those handy, dandy plastic bins. One guy trudged into the building with a couple of the boxes while other boxes were being filled up. It was kind of a ritual until e-file took away all the "fun."

[audreyh1]

Yeah I remember nightly news showing a line of cars around the block.

[Car-Guy]

The IRS received my paper return 21 days ago yesterday (according to my USPS tracking receipt) I just checked and my refund was approved yesterday. Deposit to my checking account is scheduled for next week.

I'll be getting cheese on my hamburgers for months now.

[fh2000]

I efiled my Fed tax today. IRS rejected it twice, until I got a new PIN from ID.me.

I mailed my CA state tax since TT charges $27. Certified mail cost me $6.80 still much cheaper than paying TT.

[RobbieB]

And how long did you wait at the Post Office?

[fh2000]

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Originally Posted by RobbieB And how long did you wait at the Post Office?

On a Saturday afternoon, there were only 2 other people ahead of me. Haha.

[Car-Guy]

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Originally Posted by RobbieB And how long did you wait at the Post Office?

There is almost never a line at our rural PO. There is just 2 windows and one is always open.

There are never any lines at either of the two banks in town, no lines at the drivers license office, no lines at the county registration/license tags office or at the tax offices. About the only time I ever see lines anywhere around here is on election day. Sometimes I have had to wait 5 or 10 minutes to vote.

[disneysteve]

My daughter e-filed on Sunday and already got her refund. I have no idea why anyone files by mail.

[RobbieB]

I do, see above. Saved 20 bucks. But how long was the drive to the "rural post office"

[Car-Guy]

^^^^^
I pick up my mail in town about twice a week at my PO box so I'm going to be there anyway so it's not an extra trip for us. Usually stop at the bank and/or eat out while we're in town too.