Help! Filing my 2020 taxes super late & confused about which IRS mailing address to use

The address you need depends on whether you're enclosing a payment, which you mentioned you are. For Pennsylvania residents filing a 2020 Form 1040 with payment, you should send it to: Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Philadelphia, PA 19255-0002 Make sure you: 1. Write your SSN, tax year (2020), and "Form 1040" on your payment 2. Include Form 1040-V (payment voucher) if possible 3. Don't staple or clip your payment to the return For filing this late, you don't need to include a special explanation letter - the IRS is used to late returns. However, be prepared for penalties and interest that have been accumulating since the original due date. The failure-to-file penalty is typically 5% of unpaid taxes per month up to 25%, and the failure-to-pay penalty is 0.5% per month up to 25%. Interest also compounds daily.

After spending hours trying to figure out where to send my amended tax returns, I stumbled upon taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer. I uploaded a pic of my tax forms and it analyzed everything, including telling me exactly where to mail my return based on my state and situation. It also calculated my potential penalties which was super helpful since I was also filing late like you. The tool even flagged some deductions I was missing that I had no idea about!

Ok I have to admit I was totally wrong about taxr.ai! After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it for my own late 2018 return I've been putting off. Not only did it tell me exactly where to mail everything, but it found a $1,200 education credit I had completely missed. Used their penalty calculator too and it was spot on when I got the IRS bill. Saved me from a mini heart attack when I saw what I owed after all this time lol. The document analysis actually caught stuff my regular tax software missed.

If you need to talk to an actual IRS agent about your late filing situation (which might be a good idea with something this old), I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS about my late 2020 return - constant busy signals and disconnections after waiting on hold for hours. Found this service that actually calls the IRS for you and then connects you once they get through to a human. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was finally able to talk to someone who confirmed exactly where to send my return and explained how my penalties would be calculated. They even noted in my file that I had called trying to resolve the issue, which apparently can sometimes help with penalty abatement requests.

I need to publicly eat my words here. After my skeptical comment, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my missing refund from a late-filed return, so I tried Claimyr anyway. Within 37 minutes I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS agent who helped resolve my issue! I had spent literally weeks trying to get through on my own. The agent told me my return had been flagged for manual processing because it was filed late, which is why my refund was delayed. Got it sorted in one call when I thought I'd never get an answer. Just got my refund deposited yesterday.

Don't forget that if you're filing a 2020 return this late, you might have missed out on some COVID-related benefits that were available that year. There were recovery rebate credits, enhanced child tax credits, and special unemployment treatment. Make sure you research those before filing!

Does anyone know if the IRS will still process a refund for 2020 at this point? I thought there was a 3-year limit on claiming refunds and we're past that now for 2020 returns.

Quick tip: When you mail a late return, write the tax year in BIG, BOLD numbers on the top of the 1040. I filed some late returns and the IRS agent I spoke to said they sometimes get misprocessed as current year returns if the year isn't super obvious, which causes all kinds of problems.

Just wanted to add that you should also make copies of EVERYTHING before you mail it - your return, your check, any supporting documents. Keep these copies in a safe place along with your certified mail receipt. I learned this the hard way when the IRS claimed they never received my late 2019 return even though I had proof I mailed it. Having those copies saved me because I could prove exactly what I had filed and when. The IRS processing centers are still dealing with backlogs and things do occasionally get lost in the system. Also, if you're including a check for $740, consider using a money order instead. Personal checks can bounce if there are any delays in processing (which is common with late returns), and bounced payment fees from the IRS are brutal. A money order gives you the same paper trail but eliminates that risk. Good luck with your filing - better late than never!