How to verify IRS received my 83B election form? No confirmation letter yet

This is unfortunately a common problem with 83B elections, especially when filing from overseas. The good news is you have some options to verify receipt. First, try calling the IRS at a strategic time - right when they open (7am Eastern) tends to have the shortest wait times. If you're calling from Germany, I know that's a time zone challenge, but it might be worth setting an alarm. Another approach is to fax a letter to the IRS Submission Processing Center where you sent your 83B election. Include your name, taxpayer ID, the date you mailed your election, and request confirmation of receipt. Include a fax number where they can respond. You can also mail a follow-up letter to the same IRS center with a copy of your original 83B election, explaining that you're seeking confirmation of the original submission. Include proof of your original mailing date (your certified mail receipt) and reference that you filed within the 30-day deadline. If none of these work, you might need to consider filing a protective duplicate 83B election with an explanation of the circumstances, though this isn't ideal since it's past your 30-day window.

After facing a similar nightmare with my startup equity paperwork, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) to be incredibly helpful. They specialize in analyzing tax documents and explaining weird situations like yours. I uploaded my 83B election forms and tracking info, and they quickly identified that the IRS actually DID receive my forms but sent the confirmation to the wrong address (go figure!) Their system helped me draft a proper follow-up letter that got the IRS to finally send my confirmation. They handle all sorts of tax document analysis - especially good for complex stuff like stock options and 83B elections where timing is everything.

I was totally wrong about taxr.ai! After I posted that skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway out of desperation with my own 83B issue. Their system analyzed my situation and found that I had actually sent my forms to the wrong IRS processing center (no wonder I never heard back). They created the perfect letter explaining the situation and citing the exact IRS procedures that applied. I sent it in and got confirmation within 3 weeks. They also gave me a template to document the "reasonable cause" for my late filing which the IRS actually accepted! Saved me from potentially huge tax issues down the road when I sell my shares. Definitely worth trying when you're dealing with these specialized tax situations that most accountants don't even understand well.

For anyone struggling to reach the IRS like OP, there's actually a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that will get you through to an IRS agent without the endless busy signals and disconnects. I was in a similar 83B nightmare and needed to speak to someone ASAP. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super skeptical at first, but after two weeks of failing to get through on my own, I tried it. They called me back when they had an IRS agent on the line, and I was able to verify that my 83B was actually received but sitting in a processing queue. Huge relief after months of stress!

Alright, I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, my 83B situation became urgent when my company announced a potential acquisition. I needed verification ASAP that my election was properly filed. Tried the service as a last resort, and it actually connected me to an IRS agent within 2 hours. The agent confirmed they had received my 83B election but it hadn't been processed yet, and they put a note in my file about the inquiry. They even gave me a confirmation number I could reference if there are any issues later. Saved me so much stress knowing my paperwork wasn't lost in the void. For time-sensitive tax stuff like 83B elections, definitely worth it rather than spending weeks trying to get through.

Friendly reminder to everyone filing 83B elections: ALWAYS make multiple copies of everything before sending! I learned this the hard way. Send it certified mail, keep the receipt, AND keep at least 2 full copies of what you sent (including all attachments and supporting docs). Also, check with your company - some will actually file the 83B for you with their batch of employee filings. Would have saved me so much hassle if I'd known that was an option.

For anyone dealing with this in the future - I work with startups and see this issue a lot. One workaround that sometimes helps is to contact your company's legal team. Sometimes they can provide documentation showing that you intended to file the 83B election within the timeframe, and in some cases they might even have resources to help verify with the IRS. After all, it's in the company's interest too that your equity grants are properly handled!

I went through something similar last year when I filed my 83B election from the UK. The international mail tracking situation is absolutely maddening - you lose visibility once it leaves the origin country's postal system. Here's what worked for me: I ended up filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the IRS asking for records of my 83B election filing. It sounds bureaucratic, but it's actually pretty straightforward and you can do it online through their website. Include your name, SSN, the approximate date you filed, and the processing center you sent it to. The FOIA response took about 6 weeks, but it definitively confirmed whether they had my filing on record or not. In my case, they did have it but there was some internal processing delay that explained why I never got the confirmation letter. Also, since you mentioned your colleagues got their confirmations - ask them which IRS processing center they sent theirs to. There might be regional differences in processing times, and you could compare your tracking info to see if yours went to the same place. The certified mail receipt from Deutsche Post should be solid evidence of timely filing if you need to make a reasonable cause argument later. Don't panic yet - the IRS is notoriously slow with non-revenue generating paperwork like 83B elections.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now - filed my 83B election from overseas (Japan in my case) and it's been radio silence from the IRS for months. The international mail tracking blackhole is so frustrating! Based on what I'm seeing in this thread, it sounds like there are actually several viable approaches: the FOIA request that @PixelWarrior mentioned sounds really promising for getting definitive confirmation, and I hadn't thought about involving my company's legal team either. One thing I learned from my tax attorney is that the IRS processing centers have been severely understaffed since COVID, especially for "non-revenue" forms like 83B elections. Apparently the Austin center (which handles a lot of international mail) has backlogs stretching 6+ months in some cases. For anyone in this boat - document EVERYTHING. Keep your certified mail receipt, take photos of what you mailed, and if possible get your company to provide written confirmation of when you received your stock grant. All of this becomes crucial evidence if you ever need to make a reasonable cause argument for late filing relief. The stress is real though - I keep having nightmares about owing massive taxes on phantom income if my election wasn't properly filed!