Do I really need to mail Form 8453 with attachment to Form 8949 after e-filing?

The Form 8453 is basically a cover sheet for sending supplemental documents that couldn't be included with your electronic filing. For stock transactions on Form 8949, you're generally not required to mail in your 1099-B forms unless there's a special circumstance. If TurboTax is prompting you to mail Form 8453 with Form 8949 attachments, it likely means you have transactions that have some special handling requirement. However, as you noticed, the IRS often processes returns without waiting for these paper attachments. They may review them later if they need to verify information. The IRS has been gradually reducing paper document requirements. In many cases, you're only required to keep these documents in your records rather than mail them. That said, the official guidance is still to follow the software's instructions to remain compliant.

After hours of frustration with the exact same issue last year, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me figure out this whole Form 8453 situation. I had a bunch of crypto transactions and stock sales but wasn't sure what actually needed to be mailed in. Their document analysis feature cleared it up for me - turns out I was printing and mailing way more than necessary. The tool analyzed my 1099-B forms and showed me exactly which transactions needed documentation and which ones didn't. Saved me from printing like 30 pages of unnecessary stuff! It also explained why TurboTax was flagging certain transactions that required the 8453 submission.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. Uploaded my 1099-Bs and it highlighted only 3 out of my 47 transactions that actually needed documentation with Form 8453. Everything else was already being reported to the IRS by my brokers! The analysis showed that only my wash sales and some adjusted basis transactions needed the extra paperwork. All my normal stock sales with basis reported to the IRS didn't need anything extra. This saved me from printing and mailing like 30 pages of statements! Just e-filed yesterday and only had to mail 5 pages total instead of a huge packet. So much easier than last year when I sent a small novel to the IRS. The report it generated also gave me something to keep in my records explaining why only certain transactions needed documentation.

If you're dealing with Form 8453 issues, you might also run into problems if the IRS has questions about your filing. I spent WEEKS trying to call the IRS about a similar issue last year. Finally found https://claimyr.com and used their service to get through to an actual human at the IRS who confirmed I only needed to send in 8453 for transactions where the cost basis wasn't reported to the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically, they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent is about to answer. Saved me from the endless "all circuits are busy" messages and hours on hold. The agent I spoke with said tons of people overpaper the IRS by sending unnecessary documentation.

I owe you all an apology. After being skeptical about Claimyr, I tried it this morning out of desperation. I've been trying to call the IRS for 3 days about my Form 8453 question and couldn't get through. The service actually worked exactly as described! They called me back after about 45 minutes (which is way faster than I would have gotten through on my own) and connected me directly to an IRS agent. The agent confirmed that I only need to send Form 8453 with attachments for transactions where the basis wasn't reported to the IRS or for adjusted basis transactions. For standard stock sales where your broker properly reported everything to the IRS (most major brokerages do this now), you don't need to send in the paper forms even if TurboTax says to. The agent said they prefer we DON'T send unnecessary papers since they're backlogged with processing. I feel silly for being so skeptical before but wanted to share that it legitimately helped me get an answer straight from the IRS.

My accountant told me to just keep the 1099-Bs and any supporting documents for the required 3 years but not to bother mailing them unless specifically requested by the IRS. He said that was outdated advice from TurboTax and that the IRS is actively discouraging sending paper they don't need. Been doing that for 3 years now with no issues.

I've been using FreeTaxUSA for the last two years after switching from TurboTax specifically because of this Form 8453 hassle. With FreeTaxUSA, you can attach PDFs of all your supporting documents directly when e-filing! No trips to the post office needed. And it's waaaaay cheaper too. The IRS has been trying to reduce paper for years, so it's crazy that TurboTax Desktop still makes you mail stuff in. Their online version lets you upload PDFs but charges extra for it. FreeTaxUSA includes it standard and I've never had any issues with my returns.

I've been dealing with this exact same confusion for years! After reading through all these responses, I think I finally understand what's happening. It sounds like the IRS gets most stock transaction data directly from brokers now, which is why they can process returns without waiting for the mailed Form 8453. The key seems to be distinguishing between transactions where the cost basis IS reported to the IRS versus those where it ISN'T. For most major brokerages handling standard stock sales, they're already sending that info to the IRS electronically. But for things like wash sales, adjusted basis situations, or crypto transactions, you might actually need to provide the documentation. I'm definitely going to look into FreeTaxUSA for next year - being able to upload PDFs directly sounds so much better than printing everything and making post office trips. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, this has been really helpful!

This whole thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with TurboTax Desktop telling me to mail Form 8453 with my stock transaction attachments. After reading everyone's experiences, it seems like the consensus is that for most standard stock transactions where brokers report cost basis to the IRS, the paper mailing isn't actually necessary. What really caught my attention was the point about the IRS processing returns before mailed documents could even arrive - that's exactly what happened to me last year too! It makes sense now that they're getting the data electronically from brokers. I'm curious though - has anyone here actually been contacted by the IRS later asking for documentation they didn't mail with Form 8453? I want to make sure I'm not setting myself up for problems down the road, even if the return gets processed initially. Also planning to switch to FreeTaxUSA next year since being able to upload PDFs sounds so much more convenient than the whole printing and mailing routine!

Reading through all these responses has been really enlightening! I've been in the same boat with TurboTax Desktop for years, dutifully printing and mailing Form 8453 with all my 1099-B attachments because that's what the software told me to do. What strikes me most is how many people have had the exact same experience - the IRS processes the return and issues refunds long before any mailed documents could possibly arrive. This really reinforces the point that for most standard stock transactions, they're already getting the data they need electronically from brokers. I think the key takeaway here is understanding which transactions actually require the paper documentation versus which ones are just TurboTax being overly cautious. It sounds like transactions with unreported cost basis, wash sales, or complex adjustments are the ones that truly need the Form 8453 attachments. The recommendations for FreeTaxUSA are really compelling - being able to upload PDFs directly when e-filing sounds like it would eliminate all this confusion and uncertainty. No more wondering whether the IRS actually needs those mailed documents or if they're just sitting in a pile somewhere. I'm definitely going to reconsider my approach this year and look into switching software for next year. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's clear this is a common frustration that has much better solutions available!