How to retrieve a lost Form 1099-INT from IRS that was sent in the mail?

Thanks for these suggestions! I tried the Get Transcript feature but unfortunately it didn't show any information about the 1099-INT. And I'm not sure about the amount - I suspect it might be more than $10 since my refund was pretty large and delayed for about 4 months. I hadn't thought about checking my bank statements though! I'll take a look to see if there were separate deposits. Do you know if the interest payment would be clearly labeled as interest, or would it just look like a regular deposit from the Treasury?

The interest payment would typically show up as a separate deposit from the Treasury, usually a few days after your main refund. It might not specifically say "interest" in the transaction description - it could just show as "IRS TREAS" or something similar, but it would be a separate smaller amount. If you suspect it's over $10 and you can't find the exact amount, calling is probably your best option. The IRS has actually improved their phone system in the past year. Try calling right when they open at 7am Eastern Time. Alternatively, if you have access to your previous year's account information on the tax software you used last year, sometimes they can retrieve these forms automatically when you start a new return.

This sounds too good to be true. How does an AI tool get access to IRS data that I can't get myself? Especially for something like interest on a tax refund that's specific to my account.

I'm intrigued but confused about how this works. If I upload my bank statements, won't I still need to know which deposit was the interest payment? Or does it somehow identify which payment from the IRS was for interest vs the actual refund?

It doesn't actually access IRS data directly. What it does is analyze the information you provide (like bank statements) and uses pattern recognition to identify likely interest payments based on the timing and amounts. Since IRS interest payments typically follow specific patterns, the AI can often spot them even when they're not clearly labeled. For identifying which deposit was interest versus your regular refund, yes - that's exactly what it helps with. The system looks at the deposit amounts, dates, and patterns that are consistent with how the IRS issues interest payments. It can differentiate between your main refund and a smaller interest payment that came separately, especially if they arrived within a few days of each other. It's not magic, just clever data analysis of information you already have.

How does this even work? The IRS would just talk to some random service instead of me directly? Seems weird that they'd discuss my tax info with someone else.

This sounds useful but honestly kinda sketchy. Does the IRS actually allow this kind of thing? I thought they were super strict about privacy and wouldn't talk to anyone except me about my tax stuff.

They don't talk to the service about your information at all. The service only handles the waiting part - they have an automated system that waits on hold for you. Once an IRS agent comes on the line, you get a call and are connected directly to that agent. The service drops off the call completely once you're connected. No one from the service ever talks to the IRS about your tax information. Think of it like having a friend wait on hold for you, and then they hand you the phone once someone answers. The IRS never even knows you used a service - they just think you've been the one on hold the whole time. It's completely legitimate and doesn't violate any privacy rules since you're the only one discussing your info with the IRS.

This is half right, half wrong. The IRS account portal is different from the transcript service, but in my experience the Account section actually shows LESS document info than what's in the transcript, not more. The transcript will typically show all information returns including 1099-INT forms. The state tax portal advice is completely incorrect though. States don't have access to federal interest payment information in most cases. This is federal data that isn't typically shared with states in real time.

You're right that there's some overlap between the Account section and transcripts, but they actually do show different information in some cases. For certain years, I've seen information in one but not the other. Regarding the state portal, I should have been more specific - this only applies in certain states that have information sharing agreements with the IRS, and even then it's not universal. In my state (California), I was able to see my federal refund interest payment through the state portal last year, but this was probably because I had to report it on my state return as well. Definitely not a universal solution, but worth checking if other options don't work out.

You're right that the amount is the most important thing. Calling the IRS is definitely an option, but as others have mentioned, the wait times can be really long this time of year. I did take your suggestion to estimate the amount though! Based on my refund (around $4,500) and the delay (about 4 months), I calculated roughly $45 in interest. I'll still try to get the official form or amount, but at least now I have a reasonable estimate if I can't get the actual document before the filing deadline. Thanks for the practical suggestion!