I think this is the next best step here. Based on all your legwork and research here, nothing screams “OMG fraud” to me, and ignoring it seems hazardous.
If you have a professional prepare your income taxes, you might give them a heads up. They may have some ideas about how to resolve this or something to protect yourself that you haven’t considered. (Not saying they can fix this, but I think it’s good to cover all bases.)
I wish I did! My husband did our own taxes, I did my dad’s and my mom’s estate taxes. My independence is really coming back to haunt me here.
I’m drafting a letter to my rep now. That’s the only thing I really didn’t think of before.
I would call a district office (not the DC number). Ideally the main district office - not a smaller office. The main district office is most likely to have a case worker who focuses on IRS issues. They will likely send you a form that you will have to sign giving them permission to contact the IRS office on your behalf. While they will likely want copies of the letter and any correspondence you sent, calling them is a better first step and more likely to get the process moving sooner. If you need help figuring out what office to call, just let me know.
I wish I did! My husband did our own taxes, I did my dad’s and my mom’s estate taxes. My independence is really coming back to haunt me here.
I’m drafting a letter to my rep now. That’s the only thing I really didn’t think of before.
I would call a district office (not the DC number). Ideally the main district office - not a smaller office. The main district office is most likely to have a case worker who focuses on IRS issues. They will likely send you a form that you will have to sign giving them permission to contact the IRS office on your behalf. While they will likely want copies of the letter and any correspondence you sent, calling them is a better first step and more likely to get the process moving sooner. If you need help figuring out what office to call, just let me know.
It’s so exhausting! The local offices are closed to walk ins. The tax advocate center here is closed and working remotely and their phone mailbox is full. I might try to send them a letter? Work is so slow for me I’d totally take a book and lunch and camp out to get it done. I am just DONE and don’t care about being a pain.
There really is a lot of passing the buck going on. The fraud line is really for reporting someone or a company not paying taxes not businesses paying/filing taxes and claiming they are at the wrong address. One office told me they can’t talk to me because I’m not the business owner or the foreign national filing. No kidding! That’s the issue!
I think some people think the IRS/government is some organized well oiled machine but if anything unusual happens, everything gets thrown off. It’s not an issue that can be solved by them sending me an existing form so I don’t think they can or want to devote the time to solving it.
I’m glad your issue was resolved! That must have been so stressful.
Yes exhausting!! Especially because it’s like every single person agrees it’s wrong, incorrect, you’re not responsible but no one can figure out how to make it stop!
I had pretty much forgotten about it until I read your post. But at the time I was stressed!! I mean I knew it was slim chance our house would go to sherif auction but still stressful to keep getting the notices, seeing it published in paper, etc.
Another CPA chiming in, as ridiculous as this seems, I do think you should make another stab at notification.
The form 8822 is the where the taxpayer would inform the IRS of a change of address. The best practice is to send registered mail, return receipt requested, to the IRS center serving the taxpayer's old address or to the chief of the taxpayer service division in the local district office. Maybe if you send the letter (not the IRS form) via certified mail you could get a positive confirmation via return receipt. Pre-COVID the time period to process a change of address was 45 days.
The IRS is authorized to send notices by certified or registered mail, but it is not required. There's actually not very clear guidance for the IRS to collect via notices and there's quite a bit of litigation around statute of limitations and penalties related to incorrect addresses or mail not reaching the taxpayer.
Another CPA chiming in, as ridiculous as this seems, I do think you should make another stab at notification.
The form 8822 is the where the taxpayer would inform the IRS of a change of address. The best practice is to send registered mail, return receipt requested, to the IRS center serving the taxpayer's old address or to the chief of the taxpayer service division in the local district office. Maybe if you send the letter (not the IRS form) via certified mail you could get a positive confirmation via return receipt. Pre-COVID the time period to process a change of address was 45 days.
The IRS is authorized to send notices by certified or registered mail, but it is not required. There's actually not very clear guidance for the IRS to collect via notices and there's quite a bit of litigation around statute of limitations and penalties related to incorrect addresses or mail not reaching the taxpayer.
So write a letter explaining the situation and send it certified to the local office? Sounds good to me.