post office closes today too, via certified and return receipt requested means. This way, you can be assured that all went through okay via post office. Of course, per the IRS notes above, they may have issue(s) fixed to their electronic filing systems...

I suppose I should certify/rr the mail ... but it does have a return address, and it never comes back to me.

I think over the last 40 years the USPS has lost 1 first class letter I sent. So the risk is small.

stated that I didn't send in tax return on time (Fed.).

I had my receipts to prove to them (IRS) that in fact, I did (I provided copies of my two receipts for the tax return and returned w/ the IRS letter as required, in all IRS communications).

It saved me quite possibly a lot of headaches. I guess what I'm saying (in my case) that it does happen (to me), and I proved quite easily that in fact, I did send return in on time.

I try to file early. Once they cash my check I don't worry.

and got my refund mailed last month.

But I've decided that I am going to risk it. Our accountant actually filed ours a few weeks ago, but I didn't mail in our checks yet and will do that this afternoon. There's a penalty for filing late, but actually paying late isn't as substantial of a penalty. I read it's 1/2 to 1 percent. Of course I don't want to pay that, but if something happens to our payments it won't be earth shattering.

We have rentals, and whenever I mail out the required letters to tenants who have moved out concerning their security deposits, I ALWAYS use certified mail. Triple damages would hurt a lot, so the couple of dollars for certified mail is worth it for peace of mind.

republicans + taxes = major screw job for the American people ALWAYS.


* aka republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief

"We need to upgrade all IRS software and computational hardware," it wouldn't be done yet.

Every attempt--this is under Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama, has all had the same problem.

They want to write proprietary software. And they need to get new equipment. They source both.

By the time the propietary software is anywhere near alpha testing the equipment they'd have gone to is obsolete. They would be putting in 2-3 year-old, out-of-production hardware. And the software's a mess because 18 different committees submitted design changes over the previous 2-3 years.

Here's the results of one of the last attempts at upgrading the systems, from 2015 (going back to what was started in 2011 ... Please, remember who was sitting in the Oval Office and have due regard to his legacy before commenting negatively on this. Now, if a good president screwed up badly 2 years into his presidency and over the course of the next 4, consider what's likely 15 months into a presidency by a bad president. Worse then Obama, but we insist he be twice as good.)

Background and perspective are necessary for critical thinking.

Trigger the hot button "TAXES"...Create chaos and sow discord and bitterness over inept "big gubmint"...Create context for privatization of management and function...Starve the beast...

Hmm, pretty quiet on this though.

and Trump's had 17 months to fix these computer systems, so it's his responsibility ...

From my understanding Congress has not provided the additional funding so that the IRS can properly upgrade their very very old computer systems. This is why they break down. I wouldn't be surprised if they (IRS) still has computer systems dating from the 1970s...

Kind of amazing when you consider that in the world of business, they'll pay the money to upgrade computer systems to bring in/pay out money (and it's a top priority).

With the Fed. government, they probably can't pay the pay scale that most computer experts demand, thus, you get folks (and I'm not knocking anyone here folks, it's just 'management' and Congress) whose hands are tied by Congress (has purse strings) and keeps these old systems around.

to claim they are slow and inefficient and must be privatized or ended completely.

wondered why not upgrade? Your answer that they want to take private fits the glove perfectly.

(as a former fed who watched that happen with quite a bit of IT that dealt with big data systems, since they stopped in-house training years ago)

As long as they are monitoring results of private companies doing the processing accurately, that's a good thing.

Take care.

a long term project with short term and uncertain funding. If an agency is going to embark on a big IT upgrade, then once the project is approved, the funding for it has to be stable until completion. That's really not what happens now.

of the people who wait until the last possible minute to file.

I used to see stories on Tax Day of people driving to post office branches that stayed open until midnight to accept mail, but often were open much later as lines of people and cars formed at right before midnight.

I don't do mean real early, but generally the first week in April.

These issues happen with any type of last minute surge of stuff. It happens with a lot of retail systems on black friday and Christmas eve.

Too many professionals in the IRS might uncover some --ahem-- fraudulent transactions.

Got my refunds within a week.

Then you don't have to worry about the stress of an upcoming deadline.

Putin and 45 at it again.

12 hours is more than just hours before the deadline. Again imo.

shouldn't the people be in the streets and screaming the way they did when Obamacare went online? no?

Got my small refunds back. Waiting until the last minute is insane.

We adjusted withholding-again- last year to try to get closer to zero owed, but we never quite get there. So I file by paper and stop by the post office on the way home from work, or walk over on my lunch hour if it’s nice. It’s just my routine. DH and I signed the forms last night. I’d had things wrapped up for a bit but we wait until the night before they are due to sign them.

Just our little traditions!

I even get a refund from the state this year, and will mail it out today.

financial form arrive, usually in Feb. My taxes were filed and completed 2 months ago.

I think the real problem is the IRS pushing people to file online. They haven't sent out tax booklets for more than a few years.

Russia was threatening to disrupt things in the US recently because of the sanctions.