My home address is too long to e-file taxes on Form 1040 - has anyone dealt with this?

This is actually a common issue with e-filing! The IRS has character limitations for the address fields in their e-file system. For Form 1040, the street address is typically limited to around 35 characters, which can cause problems for rural routes, long street names, or addresses with apartment/unit numbers. You have a few options: First, try using standard USPS abbreviations (St instead of Street, Apt instead of Apartment, etc.). Second, if H&R Block has a support chat or phone line, they might have specific recommendations for your situation. Third, you can try another tax software like TurboTax or TaxAct which might handle longer addresses differently. As a last resort, you can paper file, but I'd try the abbreviation route first. The IRS will still process your return correctly as long as the address can be delivered by USPS, even with standard abbreviations.

I ran into this exact issue last year and spent hours trying to figure it out. After a lot of frustration, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which has a feature that automatically formats addresses to meet IRS e-filing requirements. It basically looks at your address and suggests the proper abbreviations that will fit within the character limits while still being recognized by the IRS system. It saved me from having to paper file, which would have delayed my refund by like 6-8 weeks. The tool also caught a couple other issues with my return that might have triggered unnecessary review flags. Worth checking out if you're stuck with this address problem.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after being skeptical, and it actually worked perfectly! It took my ridiculously long address (I live in one of those new developments with an unnecessarily long street name plus unit number) and converted it into the proper format with abbreviations that fit the character limit. I went back to H&R Block, updated my address with the formatted version from taxr.ai, and the e-file went through without any issues. Already got my acceptance confirmation from the IRS. Definitely saved me from having to paper file and wait forever for my refund.

If you're still having issues getting your return accepted and need to talk to the IRS directly (which I eventually had to do with my weird address situation), check out Claimyr at https://claimyr.com. They have a service that gets you through to an actual IRS agent instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I spent almost 4 hours on hold trying to get guidance directly from the IRS about my address formatting issue before I gave up. With Claimyr, I was talking to an actual IRS representative in about 15 minutes. The agent was able to confirm exactly how my address should be formatted for e-filing and even noted it in my account in case there were any issues.

I need to eat my words and admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was so frustrated with my situation that I decided to try it anyway. I figured if it didn't work, I could report back and save others the trouble. Well, it actually worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back in about 25 minutes connecting me to an IRS agent who helped resolve my address formatting issue AND the problem I was having with last year's return. The agent even gave me her direct extension for follow-up questions. Definitely worth it for anyone struggling to get through to the IRS, especially during tax season when wait times are insane.

H&R Block does have workarounds for this issue that don't require using other services. Try these steps: 1. Use their "Chat with Tax Pro" feature right in the software - they can give you specific guidance on how to format your address 2. Try removing apartment or unit numbers and put that info in the second address line instead 3. As a last resort, you can actually complete your return in H&R Block and then choose the "print and mail" option I've been using H&R Block for years and their support is actually pretty helpful with technical issues like this.

For anyone dealing with this in the future - I had this same issue and found out you can actually request your official address format directly from USPS. Go to https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm, enter your address, and it will show you the standardized format. Use EXACTLY what they show (including their abbreviations) and it should work for e-filing. I've learned that tax software can be super picky about formatting, but if you use the exact USPS standard format, you'll be good to go. Saved me from having to use any special services or paper filing.

I went through this exact same frustrating experience with TurboTax last year! My address has a long rural route designation plus a mailbox cluster number that put me over the character limit. What finally worked for me was breaking down my address using the official USPS Publication 28 guidelines. For rural routes, you can abbreviate to "RR" followed by the route number, then "Box" becomes "Bx". So "Rural Route 5, Box 1234-A" becomes "RR 5 Bx 1234-A" which saves a ton of characters. Also, if you have directional indicators in your address (North, South, etc.), those can be abbreviated to single letters (N, S, E, W). The key is making sure your local post office will still recognize and deliver to the abbreviated version. I'd recommend trying the USPS address lookup tool that Amara mentioned before switching software entirely. Most tax programs have the same IRS character limitations, so you'll likely run into this issue regardless of which one you use.