What IRS mail isn't covered by the paperless contact option? Need privacy from household

Thank you for this information. Do you know if the payment confirmation will only be electronic if everything goes smoothly? And how exactly does the Informed Delivery service work? Would I need to register everyone in my household or just myself?

If everything goes smoothly with your payment, you should only receive electronic confirmation through your IRS online account. The IRS typically only sends physical mail if there's an issue they need to address or if they're sending specific tax documents that aren't eligible for electronic delivery. For USPS Informed Delivery, you just need to register yourself at usps.com/informeddelivery with your address. The service will email you grayscale images of the exterior of letter-sized mail that will be delivered to your address that day. It's free and only you will receive the notifications - other household members won't know unless they've also signed up. This gives you advance notice of any IRS mail coming your way.

That sounds interesting. Is this something that accesses your actual IRS account or is it more of an information guide? I'm concerned about giving access to my tax info to yet another service.

I've never heard of this. Is it actually legit or just another scam trying to get your personal info? How do they know specifically what the IRS will mail to you versus what will be electronic?

It doesn't access your IRS account directly - it works by analyzing your tax documents and situation to tell you what to expect. You can upload documents or just explain your scenario, and it provides information based on IRS policies. The service uses a database of IRS correspondence types and their eligibility for electronic delivery. They have a comprehensive catalog of which notices are exempt from paperless options based on IRS regulations. It's like having an expert who knows exactly which forms the IRS typically sends by mail regardless of your online preferences. Many tax professionals use it as a reference tool.

How does this actually work? I've tried calling the IRS multiple times and either wait forever or get disconnected. I'm pretty skeptical that any service could actually get through when the IRS phone lines are so notoriously bad.

This sounds like BS honestly. The IRS is impossible to reach by phone. I doubt some random third-party service can magically get you through when millions of people can't get through on their own. And they probably charge a fortune for this "service" right?

The service works by using software that navigates the IRS phone system and waits on hold for you. Once they reach a human agent, you get a call back to connect with them. It's not magic - they're just automating the hold process so you don't have to do it yourself. It absolutely works! The IRS phone system is designed to handle calls eventually, but most people give up after waiting too long. Claimyr just handles the waiting part with technology. They don't have special access - they just have the patience and technology that most of us don't. And regarding your other question - while there is a cost, I found it well worth it compared to wasting hours trying to get through myself just to get disconnected.

Would updating my address with the IRS for a PO box cause any issues or flags on my account? I'm worried about making any changes that might trigger additional scrutiny or paperwork.

Updating your address with the IRS for a PO box won't cause any flags or issues on your account. It's actually quite common and the IRS is used to people changing addresses. You can change your address by submitting Form 8822, calling the IRS, or updating it in your online account if you have one set up. The most important thing is making sure you do actually update it officially with the IRS and not just rely on mail forwarding, as some IRS mail cannot be forwarded due to security restrictions. Also, remember that the change isn't instantaneous - it can take a week or two to process, so plan accordingly if you're expecting time-sensitive documents.

Thanks for sharing your experience! Quick question - if the return gets accepted without issues but the scheduled payment has a problem (like insufficient funds), would that notification come by mail or electronically?

This is really helpful advice, thank you! I'm leaning towards getting a PO box just to be safe. One question - when you say to officially update the address with Form 8822, do I need to do this before my scheduled payment processes in mid-April, or can I do it after? I don't want to mess up my payment processing but also want to make sure any follow-up correspondence goes to the PO box.

You should ideally update your address with the IRS before your scheduled payment processes in mid-April to ensure any payment-related correspondence goes to your PO box. The IRS processes address changes within 1-2 weeks typically, so if you submit Form 8822 soon, it should be updated in their system before your payment date. If you update it after the payment processes, there's a chance that any immediate payment confirmations or issues could still go to your home address. However, any later correspondence (like discrepancy notices that might come 4-6 weeks after filing) would go to the new PO box address. The safest approach would be to get the PO box this week and submit the address change form immediately. You can submit Form 8822 online through your IRS account, by mail, or by calling them. The online method is usually fastest for processing.

Great question! You can definitely update your address after your scheduled payment processes - it won't affect the payment itself since that's already set up and will go through regardless. Your payment is tied to your bank account information, not your mailing address. I'd actually recommend waiting until after your payment processes successfully (you'll get electronic confirmation) and then immediately submit Form 8822 or update online. This way you don't risk any timing issues with your payment, but you'll have the new address in place for any correspondence that might come 4-6 weeks later. The IRS address change typically takes 1-2 weeks to process, so if you update it by early May, you should be covered for the typical window when any follow-up notices would arrive. Just make sure to keep checking your old address mail for about a week after the change processes, just in case there's any overlap.

You can submit Form 8822 after your payment processes - it won't affect your scheduled payment since that's already set up and tied to your return. The IRS typically takes 4-6 weeks to fully process address changes in their system anyway, so even if you submit it now, your payment confirmation would likely still go to your current address. My recommendation would be to get the PO box set up this week, submit Form 8822 right after your payment processes in mid-April, and use USPS mail forwarding as a backup during the transition period. This way you're covered for any correspondence that might come 6-8 weeks after filing when the address change should be fully processed in their system. Just make sure to keep the PO box active for at least 3-4 months to catch any potential late correspondence. The peace of mind is definitely worth the small cost!

You can submit Form 8822 after your scheduled payment processes - it won't interfere with your mid-April payment at all. The payment is already set up and will process normally regardless of when you change your address. However, I'd recommend getting the PO box and submitting the address change as soon as possible after your payment goes through. The IRS typically takes 1-2 weeks to process address changes, so if you do it right after your payment clears, your new address should be active well before any potential correspondence would be generated (which usually happens 3-8 weeks post-filing as mentioned). This timing gives you the best of both worlds - your payment processes without any complications, and your address is updated in time to catch any follow-up mail at your PO box instead of your home address.

You can update your address after your scheduled payment processes without any issues. The IRS processes address changes and payment processing through different systems, so updating your address won't interfere with your mid-April payment. I'd actually recommend waiting until after your payment goes through successfully, then immediately submitting Form 8822 or updating online. This gives you the best of both worlds - your payment processes normally, but any subsequent correspondence (which typically comes 3-8 weeks after filing) will go to your PO box. Just make sure to get the PO box set up soon and submit the address change within the next week or two after your payment processes. The IRS usually takes 1-2 weeks to update address changes in their system, so you want to give them enough time before any potential notices would be generated.

You can update your address after your payment processes - it won't affect the scheduled payment since that's already set up in the system. The payment will go through regardless of when you submit the address change. I'd actually recommend waiting until after your payment processes successfully (so sometime after mid-April) before updating to the PO Box address. That way you avoid any potential confusion in their system during the payment processing window. Once you do update with Form 8822, it typically takes 1-2 weeks to take effect, so plan accordingly. Since most follow-up correspondence (if any) would come 3-8 weeks after filing anyway, you'll have plenty of time to get the address change processed before any potential mail arrives. Just make sure to keep monitoring your home mailbox during that transition period until you're confident the address change has fully processed in their system.

You can submit Form 8822 after your payment processes - it won't interfere with your scheduled payment since that's already set up in the system. However, I'd recommend doing it as soon as possible after getting your PO box, ideally within the next week or two, because the address change can take 1-2 weeks to fully process in their system. The payment itself will go through regardless since it's tied to your bank account and SSN, not your mailing address. But any correspondence generated after the address change is processed will go to your new PO box address. Just make sure to keep checking your current address for mail during that transition period until you're confident the change has taken effect. You can also call the IRS to confirm the address change went through if you want to be extra sure, though with the services mentioned above like Claimyr, that might be easier than trying to get through on your own.

You can definitely update your address after your payment processes! The payment processing won't be affected since it's already scheduled and tied to your bank account information. I'd actually recommend waiting until after your payment goes through in mid-April, then immediately getting the PO box and submitting Form 8822. This timing works well because any payment confirmation will likely be electronic anyway (since you have paperless enabled), and you'll have the PO box ready for any potential follow-up correspondence that might arrive in the 4-8 week window after filing. Just make sure to submit the address change as soon as you get the PO box set up, as it can take 1-2 weeks for the IRS to process the change. Also, keep your online IRS account address updated too - you can usually do this faster through your online account than waiting for Form 8822 to process by mail.