Mailed check for estimated taxes, never cashed by IRS

[BruDude]

Well here's one that's never happened to me before - I mailed a quarterly estimated tax payment to the IRS for the January 15 deadline and just realized it's never been cashed, so I'm assuming it was lost in the mail somewhere. I just tried going online to make the payment and I can only choose the 2025 tax year. Google search didn't turn up much on how to make a late quarterly tax payment. I haven't filed my 2024 taxes yet - do I just get stuck paying whatever interest and penalties there may be or is there some other way I'm not aware of to get this corrected before filing my taxes? Curious how others that are self-employed may have dealt with this if it's ever happened to them.

[jebmke]

Perhaps if you specify that this is an extension of time to file instead of estimate payment you can select 2024. That is how the EFTPS system works.

[HomeStretch]

^^^This. IRS DirectPay will also allow you to make a payment with an extension.

[Mayacallie]

I had a similar experience with a mailed return about 10 years ago. It included a check for my taxes due for the year. They cashed the check, but lost the return. I’ve gone electronic for everything since then- quarterly payments and returns. No issue

[veggivet]

It is so easy to pay state and federal estimated taxes online, I would never snail mail a check to the IRS; I picture mail going into a giant dark barrel never to be seen again.

[Late as always]

My mother mailed a check with the return Mar 2024, the treasury cashed it and removed it from her account less than a week later, the IRS processed the return but claimed to have never received the check and sent her a bill and threatening letters several months later for the amount plus penalties and interest. Been in dispute for over 6 months, I expect it will never get resolved.

Lesson learned and advice from IRS rep: Don't ever mail a check

[renegade06]

I recommend IRS Direct Pay to ensure that it gets there and there is a record.

[capran]

Interesting reading through and seeing everyone's bad experiences. We mail our return and check via certified mail, with return receipt that gives us delivery info. Have never had a problem. It often shows up as an ACH withdrawal by the IRS on my checking account, within a week.

[enad]

• You can make the quarterly payment (and future payments) online to the IRS via EFTPS .

• If you stop payment on the check the IRS may penalize you for it Topic no. 206, Dishonored payments | IRS.gov .

• If a check is still outstanding after 90 days, you may need to stop payment. The bank may charge a fee for this.

• If the check is not cashed within 180 days it becomes stale dated. Banks and credit unions are not legally required to honor stale checks. Some banks may have a more flexible policy and accept checks older than six months. Tellers in banks may reject a check if it's more than six months old. However, a check may still clear the bank if it's deposited through other means than a teller.

• When you file your taxes perhaps you can write a note explaining that you sent a check (do you have proof of mailing it)? And when it hadn't been cashed after XX days, you opted to pay it online (so ask them to waive any penalties). I ask the Post Office clerk to hand cancel the envelope and I take a picture of it. It's not proof of mailing, but I have used it several times when there is a dispute (often for rebates).

[grok87]

Interesting reading through and seeing everyone's bad experiences. We mail our return and check via certified mail, with return receipt that gives us delivery info. Have never had a problem. It often shows up as an ACH withdrawal by the IRS on my checking account, within a week.

+1

[MikeG62]

It is so easy to pay state and federal estimated taxes online, I would never snail mail a check to the IRS...

^This.

In fact, I try hard to never write a check for anything, especially if I cannot hand it to the recipient.

[wa1fju]

This happened twice to me back in the days where I mailed returns and payments.

The first time, my 2nd quarter estimated tax check was lost. I telephoned the IRS and they said simply to mail a replacement check. I was not charged any kind of penalty for not submitting my four quarterly payments on time.

The second time, they didn't cash my final return payment, mailed in early April, until well after June 1. The IRS then sent me a "bill" for not filing my tax return on time. Again, I telephoned them and told the agent, "That's funny, because I am looking at the certified mail delivery receipt dated April 4 in my hand," which was the truth. Without any argument, the IRS agent reversed the penalty and that was the end of it.

So in both cases, I was able to straighten things out with a single phone call.

Needless to say, I now e-file my taxes and use IRS Direct Pay for all payments.

[Stinky]

It is so easy to pay state and federal estimated taxes online, I would never snail mail a check to the IRS; I picture mail going into a giant dark barrel never to be seen again.

I agree.

I do my best to never, ever, EVER use snail mail for a check. I don’t trust USPS any more for prompt delivery of mail - or for that matter, for delivery of the mail at all.

[Broken Man 1999]

I ensure that we owe a small amount in taxes each year, always being in safe harbor. It is easy to do since we are retirees and control our taxable income.

To pay our small amount due I charge via one of the IRS's payment processors.

- Instant payment with confirmation number, followed by an email stating payment accepted by IRS with reference number for the EFT.
- No need to give any bank info for a payment pull.
- No worries about a mailed payment.

The rewards card used earns a tiny bit more than the card payment fees, so no cost.

Broken Man 1999

[MDfan]

It is so easy to pay state and federal estimated taxes online, I would never snail mail a check to the IRS; I picture mail going into a giant dark barrel never to be seen again.

Especially with everything going on at the IRS. Nobody should be mailing checks at this point.

[mhadden1]

I ensure that we owe a small amount in taxes each year, always being in safe harbor. It is easy to do since we are retirees and control our taxable income.

To pay our small amount due I charge via one of the IRS's payment processors.

- Instant payment with confirmation number, followed by an email stating payment accepted by IRS with reference number for the EFT.
- No need to give any bank info for a payment pull.
- No worries about a mailed payment.

The rewards card used earns a tiny bit more than the card payment fees, so no cost.

Broken Man 1999

My situation sounds a lot like yours - for 2024 taxes I arranged to owe a small amount, which I paid with my rewards card.

[Randomstroller]

It's easy to pay one's taxes online - except when it isn't.

Since I didn't want to send $1000s through the mail, I tried several times and was rejected several times over the past several days when trying to pay federal taxes online. So, I called in to set up an appointment at an IRS Tax Assistance Center. The first person I spoke with tried to be some sort of gate keeper so I called back and got a person who was willing to set up an appointment for tomorrow.

This particular assistance center they evidently deign to accept checks for payment, so we'll see.

[Broken Man 1999]

It's easy to pay one's taxes online - except when it isn't.

Since I didn't want to send $1000s through the mail, I tried several times and was rejected several times over the past several days when trying to pay federal taxes online. So, I called in to set up an appointment at an IRS Tax Assistance Center. The first person I spoke with tried to be some sort of gate keeper so I called back and got a person who was willing to set up an appointment for tomorrow.

This particular assistance center they evidently deign to accept checks for payment, so we'll see.

Could you share the reason(s) for the rejection of your online payment and how you were attempting to make your payment?

Your experience and specifics might help a newbie (or even a grizzled veteran of online payments such as myself) avoid a like failure.

Thank you!

Broken Man 1999

[yules]

It is so easy to pay state and federal estimated taxes online, I would never snail mail a check to the IRS; I picture mail going into a giant dark barrel never to be seen again.

Though I second IRS Direct Pay, I can't pay state taxes online for free

Yules

[UpperNwGuy]

I am astonished to see so many bogleheads still putting paper tax returns and paper checks in the mail. This is foolish.

[Epsilon Delta]

The on-line systems are as much a bodge as the paper systems, except when the on-line system fails it's your fault.


---
A well-designed electronic system would include a cryptographic signature in the receipt. I've never seen a confirmation message long enough to be secure. Recorded delivery has force of regulations, while registered mail has force of law.

[Raspberry-503]

For what it's worth, I paid estimated taxes for my state electronically.
Got a receipt that said in the fine print "it's your responsibility to make sure the payment happens". No mention of a particular timeframe or anything.

I filed my 2024 taxes and promptly got a letter that they were adjusting my refund down by the amount of the estimated taxes. After checking with my bank, they never withdrew the money despite the confirmation I got from the state. So I don't know that doing those things electronically helps.

Fortunately our situation changed between the estimated taxes and filing and I would not have had to file estimated taxes if I had had a crystal ball, so no penalties were involved

[michaelingp]

For what it's worth, I paid estimated taxes for my state electronically.
Got a receipt that said in the fine print "it's your responsibility to make sure the payment happens". No mention of a particular timeframe or anything.

In my state, you specify a date for them to withdraw the money (ACH). Doesn't matter if they do or not, you get credit as of the date you entered. This year they only got around to it a month later.

[veggivet]

I schedule my federal and state estimated taxes as soon as my CPA submits my tax returns. I get confirmation #s via email and I write those down on the payment coupons my CPA provides and stash them in my tax file. Then I forget about estimated taxes until the following April.

[Randomstroller]

It's easy to pay one's taxes online - except when it isn't.

Since I didn't want to send $1000s through the mail, I tried several times and was rejected several times over the past several days when trying to pay federal taxes online. So, I called in to set up an appointment at an IRS Tax Assistance Center. The first person I spoke with tried to be some sort of gate keeper so I called back and got a person who was willing to set up an appointment for tomorrow.

This particular assistance center they evidently deign to accept checks for payment, so we'll see.

Could you share the reason(s) for the rejection of your online payment and how you were attempting to make your payment?

Your experience and specifics might help a newbie (or even a grizzled veteran of online payments such as myself) avoid a like failure.

Thank you!

Broken Man 1999

I attempted to use "Direct Pay with Bank Account" and don't know why it failed. It worked fine last year. This year I made multiple attempts and every time I got a useless boiler plate message that indicated failure. So, I went to an IRS Tax Assistance Center and paid in person. Maybe its possible to call in and try to sort out the problem, but I decided to solve the matter - for this year anyway - by brute force.

[southerndoc]

I just checked EFTPS and when I went to make an estimated payment, I can enter prior year tax period.

[nhs76]

A few years ago, I had one quarterly estimated tax check to my state stolen from the USPS blue box (or intercepted downstream), checkwashed, forged as a payment for "landscaping", and made out to an individual in the exact amount of my payment, with my forged signature, and deposited. I didn't pick it up on my bank statement until it was too late for the bank to take responsibility for honoring the check. Fortunately it was not an enormous payment, but still. I consider that my "tuition" for an important lesson. My Federal estimated tax payment was also intercepted but never deposited. Surprise, surprise, my Federal refund that year was one quarterly payment short.