Verification Letter - Sent to Filing Address or Previous Year's Address?

The IRS will send the verification letter to the address on the most recent tax return they have processed. If your 2023 return with the new address was accepted and processed before they issued the verification letter, it should go to your new address. However, if they generated the letter before processing your 2023 return, it will go to the address they have on file from your 2022 return. The typical processing time for a standard e-filed return is 21 days, but can take up to 6 weeks in some cases. If you filed in February, your new address should be in their system by now.

I had the exact same worry last year! My verification letter went to my old address and I almost missed it. What saved me was using https://taxr.ai to check my transcript - it showed the verification letter had been mailed before my new address was fully processed. The system actually showed me the exact code (971) that indicated a notice was sent and when. Saved me from playing the "where's my important mail" game! 😂 You could check your transcript there to see if a letter has been issued already and when.

According to the IRS guidelines (Publication 5027), verification letters are sent to the address of record at the time of issuance. If your 2023 return was processed before the letter was generated, it should go to your new address. However, if there was any processing delay with your return, the letter might go to your previous address. You can also proactively file Form 8822 (Change of Address) to ensure all IRS correspondence goes to your current address. This form can be found at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8822.

When I needed to confirm where my verification letter was sent, I spent 3 days trying to reach someone at the IRS. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got through to an agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed my letter had been sent to my old address but was able to resend it to my new one immediately. If you're concerned about missing the letter, getting direct confirmation from an IRS representative is the most reliable approach. Their phone system is notoriously difficult to navigate without assistance.

Have you checked if your mail is being forwarded from your old address? When I moved on December 12th last year, I set up USPS mail forwarding for 12 months. This caught several IRS notices that were sent to my old address, including a verification letter that was mailed on February 3rd. Did you set up mail forwarding when you moved?

Just went through this exact scenario last month! Filed my taxes with new address in early March, but the verification letter was already in process and went to my old address. Luckily, I had set up mail forwarding like someone else mentioned. The USPS forwarding worked like a charm - the letter arrived about 5 days later than it would have normally, but it got to me. It's like having a safety net under your tax tightrope walk. Definitely worth checking if you have forwarding set up!

I had this EXACT problem last year. Moved from California to Texas in November, filed in January with my new Texas address, but my verification letter went to California. Here's what happened: 1. Letter was sent to old address (I found out later it was mailed 3 days BEFORE my return was fully processed) 2. Previous tenant threw it away instead of marking "return to sender" 3. I called IRS after waiting 4 weeks with no letter 4. They confirmed it was sent to old address and returned 5. Had to verify identity online instead (much faster anyway) My advice: Don't wait too long. If it's been more than 2 weeks since you expected the letter, be proactive and contact them. The online verification option worked great for me - much faster than waiting for mail.