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Natasha Petrova

Does USPS Informed Delivery show IRS refund check images?

Been checking my informed delivery everyday for my refund check. Everyone says you can see the IRS check on informed delivery but I havent seen anything yet. Its been 3 weeks since the IRS said they mailed my check. Starting to get worried. Anyone know if the check always shows up on informed delivery?

Not always! IRS checks sometimes don't show up in the daily digest. They use different envelopes and sometimes the system doesn't capture them. I got my check last year and it never showed up on informed delivery but arrived anyway.

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omg thank you that makes me feel better! 😅

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same thing happened to me. was freaking out but check just showed up one day 💯

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Hey guys! Instead of checking informed delivery everyday, you should try taxr.ai - its this new tool that analyzes your transcript and tells you exactly when your check was mailed and expected delivery date. Costs $1 but saved me so much stress. Check it out: https://taxr.ai

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does it actually work? seems interesting

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totally works! it uses AI to read all the codes and dates. way better than trying to figure it out yourself

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just tried it and WOW 🤯 wish i knew about this months ago! it literally told me exactly when my check will arrive

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mine showed up but was super blurry couldn't even tell what it was tbh

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Heads up - sometimes they send it in a plain white envelope that looks like junk mail. Don't throw anything away without checking! learned that the hard way 🤡

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bruh fr? now im paranoid about throwing away mail lol

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three weeks is kinda long tho. might wanna call them to make sure the address is correct

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ugh i tried calling but been on hold forever 😫

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Don't panic yet! 3 weeks can be normal depending on your location and mail delays. I'd suggest checking "Where's My Refund" on the IRS website first - it'll tell you the exact date they mailed it. If it's been more than 4 weeks from the mail date, then definitely call. Also try calling early morning (7-8am) - wait times are usually shorter then.

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This is really helpful advice! I didn't know about the early morning call tip. @Natasha Petrova maybe try calling around 7am tomorrow? Also the Where "s'My Refund tool" is definitely worth checking - it ll'give you the actual mail date so you know if you re'really past the normal delivery window.

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I've been through this exact same situation! The IRS checks don't always show up on Informed Delivery - it's hit or miss. Mine took almost a month to arrive and never showed up in the daily digest. The envelopes they use are pretty basic looking too, so even if it did show up in Informed Delivery, you might not recognize it as your refund check. I'd recommend checking the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov to see the actual mail date, and don't stress too much until it's been at least 4-5 weeks from that date. Mail has been slower lately in general.

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This is such good advice! I'm in a similar situation and was getting really anxious about it. The part about the envelopes being basic looking is so true - I almost missed mine last year because I thought it was just regular mail. Thanks for mentioning the 4-5 week timeframe too, that really helps put things in perspective!

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I work for the postal service and can confirm that IRS refund checks don't always show up in Informed Delivery. The imaging system sometimes misses certain types of mail, especially when they use those plain Treasury envelopes. Also, mail volume has been really heavy lately which can cause delays. I'd give it another week or two before getting too worried - 3-4 weeks isn't uncommon right now, especially if you're in a rural area or somewhere that's had weather issues.

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This is so reassuring to hear from someone who actually works at USPS! I had no idea that the imaging system could miss Treasury envelopes. That explains why so many people have different experiences with seeing their checks on Informed Delivery. The weather delays make total sense too - we've had some crazy storms lately. Thanks for the insider info! @Natasha Petrova this should definitely help ease your worries a bit.

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As someone who's been waiting for refund checks for years, I can tell you that Informed Delivery is NOT reliable for IRS mail. The Treasury Department uses special envelopes that often don't get scanned properly by the postal imaging system. I've gotten multiple refund checks over the years and maybe only half showed up in my daily digest. Don't stress about the 3 weeks - mail has been really slow lately and IRS checks can take 4-6 weeks easily, especially during tax season when volume is high. Just keep checking your mailbox daily and don't throw away any plain white envelopes!

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This is really helpful perspective from someone with years of experience! The point about Treasury Department envelopes not scanning properly makes so much sense. I'm actually dealing with this exact situation right now too - been 2.5 weeks since my mail date and nothing on Informed Delivery yet. It's good to know that 4-6 weeks is actually normal range. @Natasha Petrova sounds like we just need to be patient and keep checking that mailbox! Thanks for sharing your experience.

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I can relate to your anxiety about this! I went through the same thing last year - checked Informed Delivery obsessively for weeks with no sign of my refund check. Turns out it just showed up one day without ever appearing in the daily digest. The IRS uses these generic Treasury envelopes that look like boring government mail, and the postal imaging system doesn't always catch them. Three weeks is still within the normal range, especially with all the mail delays we've been having lately. I'd recommend checking the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov to confirm when they actually mailed it, and try not to stress until it's been at least 4-5 weeks from that mail date. Keep checking your physical mailbox daily and don't toss any plain white envelopes!

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This is exactly what I needed to hear! I've been checking Informed Delivery like 5 times a day and getting more anxious each time nothing shows up. It's so reassuring to know that other people have had their checks arrive without ever seeing them in the digest. I just checked "Where's My Refund" and it shows they mailed it 2.5 weeks ago, so sounds like I'm still in the normal timeframe. Thanks for the reminder about not throwing away plain envelopes - I've definitely been tempted to toss some of the boring looking mail lately! 🙏

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Been there! Same exact situation happened to me last year - obsessively checking Informed Delivery every morning and getting more worried each day when my refund check didn't show up in the images. Turns out it arrived about 4 weeks after the IRS said they mailed it and never appeared in Informed Delivery at all. The envelope was super plain and generic looking - I almost thought it was junk mail at first! The postal imaging system just isn't consistent with Treasury mail. Three weeks is definitely still normal range, especially with how slow mail has been lately. Try to hang in there and keep checking your physical mailbox daily. Your check is probably on its way! 📬

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This is so reassuring! I'm actually in week 2 of waiting and was starting to panic after reading so many horror stories online. It's good to know that 4 weeks is still normal and that the plain envelope thing is real - I've been so focused on looking for something that screams "IRS" but sounds like that's not how it works at all. Thanks for sharing your experience, it really helps calm my nerves! @Natasha Petrova we got this, just gotta be patient! 💪

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Hey! I totally get your worry - I was in the exact same boat last year and it drove me crazy checking Informed Delivery every single day. Here's what I learned: IRS refund checks are notorious for NOT showing up in Informed Delivery. The Treasury uses these super plain white envelopes that the postal imaging system often misses completely. Mine took almost 5 weeks to arrive and never once appeared in my daily digest. The envelope was so generic I almost threw it away thinking it was junk mail! Three weeks is still totally normal, especially with how backed up mail has been lately. I'd suggest checking the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov to see the exact date they mailed it - that's way more reliable than guessing. Don't stress until it's been at least 4-5 weeks from that official mail date. Keep checking your physical mailbox daily and definitely don't throw away ANY plain white envelopes right now, no matter how boring they look. Your check is most likely on its way! 🤞

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This is such detailed and helpful advice! I'm dealing with this exact same anxiety right now - been checking Informed Delivery obsessively for the past 2 weeks. It's really reassuring to know that the Treasury envelopes are just that plain and generic looking. I actually did almost throw away a boring white envelope last week but thankfully opened it first (wasn't my refund but could have been!). Going to check that "Where's My Refund" tool right now - I had no idea that would show the actual mail date. Thanks for taking the time to share all these details! @Natasha Petrova sounds like we re'all in good company with this worry 😅

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I went through this exact same stress last tax season! My refund check took 6 weeks to arrive and NEVER showed up on Informed Delivery - not even once. I was calling the IRS weekly and checking my mailbox like 3 times a day lol. When it finally came, it was in the most boring plain white envelope from "Bureau of the Fiscal Service" - honestly looked like a bill or something. The postal worker at my local office explained that Treasury mail uses different processing that often bypasses the imaging system for Informed Delivery. Plus with all the mail delays lately (weather, staffing issues, etc), 3-4 weeks is pretty standard now even for regular mail. My advice: stop torturing yourself with Informed Delivery for now and just check "Where's My Refund" on IRS.gov to get the actual mail date. Then give it at least 4-5 weeks from that date before panicking. And seriously - don't throw away ANY white envelopes right now, even if they look super boring! Your check is probably just stuck in the mail system somewhere. Hang in there! 💙

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Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This is incredibly helpful and makes me feel so much better. I've been doing the exact same thing - checking my mailbox multiple times a day and getting more anxious each time nothing shows up. It's crazy that your check took 6 weeks and never appeared on Informed Delivery at all! I never would have guessed that Treasury mail bypasses the imaging system. That "Bureau of the Fiscal Service" envelope sounds exactly like something I'd mistake for a boring bill too. I'm definitely going to stop obsessively checking Informed Delivery and just be patient. Really appreciate you taking the time to explain all this! @Natasha Petrova

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I totally understand your worry! I had the same anxiety last year when my refund check was "in the mail" for almost a month with no sign of it on Informed Delivery. Everyone kept telling me it would show up in the daily digest but it never did. When it finally arrived, it was in this super plain white envelope that honestly looked like junk mail - I almost didn't open it! The truth is that IRS/Treasury checks just don't reliably show up in Informed Delivery because they use different processing and plain envelopes that the imaging system often misses. Three weeks is still within normal range, especially with how slow mail has been lately. I'd recommend checking the official "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov to see exactly when they mailed it - that's way more accurate than guessing. Don't stress until it's been 4-5 weeks from that official mail date. Keep checking your physical mailbox and definitely don't throw away any boring white envelopes! Your check is most likely just making its way through the postal system. Hang in there! 💪

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This is so helpful! I'm actually in week 3 of waiting right now and was starting to panic thinking something went wrong. It's really reassuring to hear that so many people have had their checks arrive without ever showing up on Informed Delivery. I had no idea that Treasury uses different processing - that explains why everyone has such different experiences! Just checked "Where's My Refund" and it confirmed they mailed it 3 weeks ago, so sounds like I'm still in the normal window. Thanks for the reminder about those plain white envelopes - I've definitely been eyeing some boring mail suspiciously lately 😅 Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here!

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I completely understand your anxiety! I went through this exact same situation two years ago - checked Informed Delivery religiously for weeks and my refund check never showed up in the daily images. It finally arrived after about 4 weeks in a completely plain white envelope that I almost mistook for a utility bill or something. The return address just said "U.S. Treasury" in tiny print. From what I've learned, IRS refund checks are notoriously unreliable on Informed Delivery because the Treasury Department uses basic envelopes that often don't get captured by the postal imaging system. Three weeks is still totally normal, especially with how backed up mail service has been lately. I'd suggest checking the "Where's My Refund" tool on IRS.gov to get the exact date they actually mailed your check - that's way more reliable than guessing. Don't start worrying until it's been at least 4-5 weeks from that official mail date. And definitely keep checking your physical mailbox daily - don't rely on Informed Delivery for this one! Your check is most likely just working its way through the system. Good luck! 🤞

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This thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm in the exact same boat as @Natasha Petrova - been 3 weeks and nothing on Informed Delivery, getting more worried each day. Reading everyone s'experiences here is so reassuring - seems like IRS checks just don t'show up reliably in the system. That plain white U.S. "Treasury envelope" sounds exactly like something I d'overlook too! Going to check that Where "s'My Refund tool" right now and stop obsessing over Informed Delivery. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories - really helps knowing this is totally normal! 🙏

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