Tax Relief: Say No More - Uncle Sam Is Perfect
Posted by LWM Team on Wed, May 19, 2010
It’s not unheard of for the IRS to let a taxpayer know a tax return was not received. This includes innocent spouse claims, tax returns and collection appeals.
It happens because there are times when the IRS
misplaces mail. To be fair, it does not happen on a large scale but it does happen.
However, according to the IRS
if they didn’t receive a tax return then it’s your fault. Their stance is: you did not file. If you believe the IRS
is in the wrong then you will have to prove it.
Your word is not enough.
When it comes to the IRS prevention is far better than cure. It is very difficult to convince them of any error on their part. One way of making certain your tax return reaches them is to hand-file. This means you must take your tax return, request or appeal to the IRS
walk-in center. Make sure you also have a copy of all documentation. Insist the IRS date stamps the copy when the original is filed. Do not mail all returns in one envelope. Place each return it its own envelope. This is to stop all going missing at one time.
Another area where Uncle Sam is infallible is time periods. If the IRS disputes the delivery date of an appeal they expect undeniable evidence to prove you are in the right. The dispute will come from an Appeals Officer or other Revenue Officer. Only an IRS date stamp on a copy will convince them you made the appeal in time. To safeguard yourself you must only hand-file collection due process appeals.
If you must use a post office, request a receipt as proof of mailing.
However, this is not the end of IRS
disputes. They have been known to dispute the contents of an envelope.
According to them a receipt only shows an envelope was mailed but not what the envelope contained. This is not a reasonable approach but if you can’t prove you are in the right then the IRS will not accept your word without obvious proof.