Received IRS letter after response deadline - already past 30 day requested response date

Don't panic! This happens more often than you might think, especially with international mail. The IRS generally understands that mail delays occur, particularly for taxpayers living abroad. The most important thing is to respond as soon as possible. Include a brief explanation with your response noting when you actually received the letter and that you're responding immediately upon receipt. Make a copy of the envelope showing the postmark date if you still have it - this can help prove when it was actually sent to you. Call the IRS at the number on your notice to inform them of the situation. They can make notes in your file indicating you contacted them about the delay. If you can't reach them by phone, include a letter explaining the circumstances with your response. For future correspondence, consider setting up an online account at IRS.gov where you can receive some notices electronically, though not all notices are available this way. You might also want to consider granting power of attorney to someone in the US who can receive and handle mail on your behalf.

I went through something similar last year with delayed IRS correspondence while living abroad. After multiple frustrating attempts to reach someone at the IRS (spent literally hours on hold), I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me understand my notice and figure out how to respond properly. You upload your IRS notice and it analyzes exactly what the IRS is asking for, the deadline requirements, and gives you a personalized response plan. It helped me understand that for my situation, I wasn't actually going to face penalties as long as I responded promptly after receiving the letter, even though it was technically "late" according to the date on the notice. The system also helped me draft an explanation letter to include with my response that explained the mail delay situation. Definitely made the process less stressful!

Just want to update everyone - I decided to try taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and it was incredibly helpful! After uploading my notice (which was similar to yours - asking for a missing schedule), it broke down exactly what I needed to submit and helped me draft a cover letter explaining the mail delay situation. The service explained that the IRS typically grants reasonable consideration for international mail delays, especially when you respond promptly after receiving the notice. It even provided the exact IRS policy reference about international correspondence that I included in my letter. It's been about three weeks since I sent my response, and I just received confirmation that my issue was resolved without any penalties. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with confusing IRS correspondence from overseas!

I've been in this exact situation twice before. After wasting days trying to reach the IRS international line (seriously, it's nearly impossible), I started using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually get through to a human at the IRS. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c After multiple failed attempts to get through myself, Claimyr got me connected to an IRS agent in less than 25 minutes. The agent confirmed that international mail delays are common and told me exactly how to document when I received the notice. They also put notes in my account about the delay to prevent any automatic penalties. Instead of stressing for weeks about whether my response would be accepted, I got immediate confirmation from an actual IRS representative that my approach was correct and my late response wouldn't be an issue.

I need to apologize and completely retract my skepticism about Claimyr. After posting my doubtful comment, I was still desperate to resolve my own IRS issue, so I decided to try it despite my initial reaction. I had been trying to reach the IRS for THREE WEEKS with no success - constant busy signals or disconnects after waiting on hold. Claimyr had me speaking with an actual IRS agent in 37 minutes! The agent reviewed my file, confirmed that international mail delays are considered reasonable cause for responding after the deadline, and even processed my response over the phone. The agent also added detailed notes to my account explaining the circumstances so I wouldn't face automatic penalties. I'm genuinely shocked at how well it worked and how helpful the IRS was once I actually reached them. Totally worth it for the stress relief alone.

Something important nobody mentioned yet - make sure you're responding to a legitimate IRS letter! There are lots of scams targeting expats, and the timing delay could be suspicious. Check that the notice has your correct taxpayer info, references specific tax years, and has official IRS markings. Real IRS letters have a notice number (usually CP or LTR followed by numbers) in the upper right corner. You can verify it's legitimate by calling the IRS directly using a number from the official IRS website, not the one printed on the letter if you're suspicious.

As someone who's worked for a tax resolution firm, here's a tip: When you send your response, write "RECEIVED [date you got it]" in big letters at the top of their original notice and include a photocopy. Also include the envelope showing the postmark if you still have it. The IRS tracking systems don't automatically adjust for mail delays, but the employees reviewing your case can. Making the late receipt date super obvious helps ensure that info gets entered into their system.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - living in Canada and just received an IRS notice that's 6 weeks past the response deadline! Reading through all these responses has been really reassuring. One thing I want to add is that when you call the IRS international line, ask them specifically about Form 911 (Request for Taxpayer Advocate Service Assistance). If you're experiencing significant hardship due to the mail delays and can't resolve the issue through normal channels, the Taxpayer Advocate Service can intervene on your behalf. They have special authority to work with international taxpayers facing these kinds of systemic issues. Also, I've found that including a brief timeline in your response letter helps - something like "Notice dated [X], postmarked [Y], received [Z]" makes it crystal clear to whoever reviews your case that this was a mail delay issue, not procrastination on your part. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's made this whole situation feel much more manageable!