Lost my 83B election confirmation letter from IRS - what should I do now?

Don't panic! You're not required to attach the 83B election confirmation letter to your tax return. The 83B election only needs to be filed once (within 30 days of receiving your equity grant), and the IRS acknowledgment is just proof you filed it correctly. For your records, it's good to have that confirmation, but you can still file your return without it. What's important is that you actually filed the 83B election on time, which it sounds like you did. When you file your tax return, you'll still report any income related to your equity according to the 83B election you made. If you're really concerned about having documentation, you can request a copy of your 83B election from the IRS by submitting Form 4506 (Request for Copy of Tax Form) and paying a small fee. But again, it's not required for filing your current return.

I went through something similar last year with my 83B paperwork and was super stressed. I discovered this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me organize and retrieve all my tax documents. It scans all your docs, even emails, and extracts the important tax info so you can find stuff easily. For my situation, it helped me locate a digital copy of my 83B confirmation I didn't even remember I had in my email. It was actually in an email from my company's legal team that I'd completely forgotten about! The tool found it because it recognizes tax forms and IRS-related documents automatically. Might be worth checking if you have a digital copy somewhere using something like this.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai that was mentioned earlier. I actually tried it out and it found my missing 83B confirmation! Turns out it was in a folder of scanned documents from 2 years ago that I completely forgot about. The system found it within minutes after I connected my Google Drive. What surprised me was it also found some other tax documents I'd been looking for - including a 1099 from a side gig I did that I almost forgot to report. Honestly saved me hours of searching and potential headaches. Definitely worth checking out if you're missing important tax documents.

If you filed your 83B election properly but just lost the confirmation, another option is calling the IRS directly to verify they received it. But we all know getting through to the IRS is basically impossible these days. I finally got through to them about a missing tax document using https://claimyr.com. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Instead of waiting on hold for hours, they basically call the IRS for you and then connect you once an actual human picks up. I was skeptical but it actually worked - got connected to an IRS agent in about 25 minutes instead of the 2+ hours I spent on my previous attempts. The IRS rep was able to confirm my document was received and processed and noted it in my file. Might be worth trying so you have some documentation that you verified your 83B was properly filed.

I need to eat some humble pie here. After my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I decided to try it myself because I've been trying to reach the IRS for weeks about a similar documentation issue. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 35 minutes and was connected to an IRS representative who confirmed my 83B election was properly recorded in their system. They even sent me an email confirmation that I can keep for my records. The agent explained that while they don't typically resend the physical acknowledgment letter, having this verbal confirmation and email follow-up is sufficient documentation if questions ever come up. Saved me from filing Form 4506 and waiting weeks for a response. Sometimes it pays to be wrong!

Something else to consider - check with your company's legal team or whoever helped with your equity grant. Often they keep copies of all the 83B elections filed by employees. When I lost mine, our legal department had the entire package including proof of mailing and the date it was sent. They were able to provide me a copy for my records. Worth asking before you go through the hassle with the IRS.

One more thing to consider - if you e-filed your tax return in previous years and included a reference to your 83B election, you can pull your old returns as additional documentation that you've been consistent in your tax treatment based on having filed the election. It's not a replacement for the actual confirmation, but it helps establish a pattern of compliance that would be helpful if questions ever come up.

I've been through this exact situation and want to share what worked for me. First, don't stress too much - as others mentioned, you don't need to attach the confirmation to your tax return. But here's a systematic approach I used to track down my missing 83B docs: 1. Check ALL your email accounts (personal, work, old accounts) for keywords like "83B", "election", "IRS acknowledgment", etc. Mine was buried in an automated email from our payroll system. 2. Contact your company's HR/legal team first - they often maintain records and it's the fastest route. 3. If that doesn't work, the IRS phone callback services mentioned here are legit and much better than sitting on hold for hours. 4. As a last resort, Form 4506 will get you an official copy, but it takes time and costs money. The key thing is that you filed it properly and on time. The IRS has records of this, and there are multiple ways to verify/document that you complied with the requirements. You're in better shape than you think!

I went through something very similar last year and completely understand the panic! Here's what I learned: the IRS confirmation letter is really just for your peace of mind - it's not required for your tax filing. The important thing is that you filed the 83B election within the 30-day window, which it sounds like you did. What really helped me was creating a backup documentation trail. I reached out to my company's legal team (they had a copy), checked my email thoroughly using search terms like "83B" and "election" (found it in a forwarded email from HR), and also requested my own tax transcript from the IRS website which showed the election was properly recorded. Since you have until October with your extension, you have plenty of time to track this down through multiple channels. The suggestions here about using phone callback services or document scanning tools are solid if the basic approaches don't work. But honestly, just knowing you filed it correctly is the most important part - everything else is just documentation for your records.

I completely understand your panic - losing important tax documents is so stressful! But you're actually in a much better position than you think. The 83B election confirmation letter isn't required to be attached to your tax return, so you can still file without it. Here's what I'd recommend doing in order of easiest to hardest: 1. **Email search**: Search ALL your email accounts (work, personal, old ones) for terms like "83B", "election", "IRS", and the approximate dates. Check spam folders too. Sometimes these confirmations get auto-filtered. 2. **Company records**: Contact your HR department or whoever handled your equity paperwork. Most companies keep copies of all 83B elections they help employees file, often including proof of mailing. 3. **Digital document search**: If you use cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), do a comprehensive search there. You might have scanned or photographed it without remembering. 4. **IRS verification**: If you need official confirmation, use one of the callback services mentioned here to speak with an IRS agent who can verify your election was received and processed. The most important thing is that you filed it properly and on time, which you did. Everything else is just paperwork for your peace of mind. With your October extension deadline, you have plenty of time to sort this out!

I went through this exact same panic a few months ago! Here's what I learned that might help you feel better: the IRS confirmation letter is really just proof that you filed correctly, but it's not actually required for your tax return filing. Since you remember filing the 83B election properly and on time, you're in good shape. The IRS has their own records of receiving it. Here's what worked for me when I was in your situation: **First**, do a thorough email search across ALL your accounts (personal, work, even old ones you barely use) for keywords like "83B", "election confirmation", "IRS", and the month you filed. I found mine buried in a work email I'd completely forgotten about. **Second**, check with your company's equity team or whoever helped coordinate your stock options. They often keep copies of all employee filings. In my case, our legal team had everything including the certified mail receipt. **Third**, if you really want official confirmation for peace of mind, you can call the IRS (using those callback services mentioned above - they actually work!) to verify your election is in their system. The key thing is you filed it on time, which is what actually matters for your taxes. Everything else is just documentation. Since you have until October with your extension, you have plenty of time to track this down through multiple channels. Don't stress too much - you're going to be fine!

I totally get the anxiety you're feeling! I lost my 83B confirmation letter too and was convinced I'd somehow messed up my entire tax situation. But after going through this process, I can confirm what others have said - you don't actually need that physical letter for filing your return. What really helped me was understanding that the 83B election is a separate filing from your tax return. You filed it once within 30 days of getting your stock grant (which you did), and now you just report the tax consequences based on that election when you file annually. Here's my practical advice: Start with the easy stuff first. Search your emails thoroughly - I used search terms like "83B", "election", "confirmation", "acknowledgment", and even just "IRS" around the time period when you would have received it. Don't forget to check any shared drives or cloud storage where you might have saved a PDF copy. If that doesn't work, definitely reach out to your company's HR or legal team. They're usually really helpful with this stuff since it affects employees' tax situations. Most companies keep comprehensive records of equity-related filings. You've got plenty of time with your October extension, and honestly, the fact that you filed the election properly is what matters most for your taxes. The confirmation letter would just be nice to have for your records, but it's not make-or-break for your filing!