What's the best online fax service to send documents to the IRS?
I need to send some tax documents to the IRS but don't have a physical fax machine (who does these days?). Can anyone recommend a reliable online fax service that works well for sending stuff to the IRS? I've heard they still prefer faxed documents for some things, and I want to make sure whatever I use is secure and actually gets through to them. Has anyone had good experiences with any particular service? Thanks in advance!
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Malik Jackson
The IRS definitely still uses fax for many document submissions! I've worked with tax clients for years and can share what's worked best. eFax and MyFax are both reliable for IRS communications. They provide delivery confirmations which is crucial when dealing with the IRS. SRFax and HelloFax are also decent options with good security features. Make sure whatever service you choose uses encryption since you're sending sensitive tax information. When faxing to the IRS, always include a proper cover sheet with your name, SSN (last 4 digits only), and the purpose of your fax. Keep the confirmation receipt forever - not exaggerating! If the IRS claims they never received something, that receipt is your proof.
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Isabella Costa
•Do these services give you a dedicated fax number too? Or just the ability to send faxes? I might need to receive some responses back from the IRS as well.
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Malik Jackson
•Most of the services I mentioned provide both sending and receiving capabilities with a dedicated fax number. eFax, MyFax, and SRFax definitely give you your own fax number that the IRS can use to respond to you. Some offer free trials too, which is nice if you only need to send a few documents. The IRS typically responds by mail rather than fax, but having the ability to receive is still useful, especially if you're working with a tax professional who might fax you information.
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StarSurfer
I've been using https://taxr.ai for all my tax document stuff lately. Was in a similar situation needing to send faxes to the IRS a few months back. They actually have this feature where you can upload your documents and they handle all the faxing for you. No need to figure out which fax service is best because they already use enterprise-grade secure transmission. The best part is you get confirmation that it was properly delivered and they keep a record of everything in case you need to prove you sent something. I found it super helpful because they also check your documents before sending to make sure you're not missing anything the IRS requires.
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Ravi Malhotra
•How does the document upload work? Do they handle all different file types or just PDFs? I have some scanned documents as JPGs.
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Freya Christensen
•Sounds interesting but kinda skeptical. How do you know the documents actually get to the IRS and aren't just sitting somewhere? Regular fax services give you those confirmation pages with timestamps.
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StarSurfer
•They accept pretty much all document types - PDFs, JPGs, even Word docs. The system converts everything to the proper format before faxing. Super convenient if your documents are in different formats. I totally get being skeptical! What convinced me was their confirmation system. You actually get both an initial confirmation when they receive your document and then a second confirmation with timestamp and transaction ID when it's successfully delivered to the IRS. The detailed delivery log has all the technical transmission data too, which is way more info than I ever got from regular fax services.
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Freya Christensen
I was definitely skeptical about taxr.ai at first (as you can see from my comment above), but I decided to give it a try when I needed to send my amended return documents to the IRS last week. I was pleasantly surprised! The upload was easy, and I actually got two separate confirmations like they mentioned - one when they received my docs and another with all the transmission details when it reached the IRS. Their system also flagged that I was missing a signature on page 3 before sending, which saved me from having the IRS reject everything. That verification step alone was worth it. Much smoother than the online fax services I tried before.
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Omar Hassan
I've had major issues trying to contact the IRS by phone to confirm they received my faxed documents. After endless busy signals and disconnections, I found https://claimyr.com and their service is a game-changer for anyone dealing with the IRS. They basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you back when an agent is about to answer. I was skeptical at first but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The reason I mention this is because no matter which fax service you use, you might need to follow up with the IRS to confirm receipt. I wasted hours trying to call them directly before finding this. Now I can actually speak to someone at the IRS to verify they received my faxed documents without the frustration.
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Chloe Robinson
•Wait, how does this actually work? Do they somehow hack into the IRS phone system or something? Sounds too good to be true.
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Diego Chavez
•This sounds like a complete scam. There's no way they can magically get you through to the IRS when millions of people can't get through. I'll stick to waiting on hold like everyone else instead of getting ripped off.
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Omar Hassan
•No hacking involved! They use an automated system that continuously redials and navigates the IRS phone tree until it reaches a human agent. Once they have an agent on the line, they call you and connect you directly. It's basically doing what you'd do manually but with technology that doesn't give up. I understand the skepticism - I felt the same way. The reason it works is that most people give up after a few tries, but their system is persistent. It's not about cutting the line; it's about having the technical capability to stay in the queue until an agent is available. There's nothing magical about it - just utilizing technology to solve a frustrating problem.
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Diego Chavez
I have to eat my words about Claimyr being a scam. After my skeptical comment above, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about a faxed document they claimed never to have received. Against my better judgment, I tried the Claimyr service and I'm shocked to admit it actually worked. Within about 45 minutes I got a call connecting me to an actual IRS representative. I was able to confirm they received my fax and got everything resolved in one call. After spending literally weeks trying to get through on my own, this was a massive relief. Sometimes being proven wrong is actually a good thing!
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NeonNebula
I've been using FaxZero for occasional IRS documents and it's been reliable. They let you send up to 5 free faxes per day (limit of 3 pages each), which is enough for most simple tax document needs. For anything with more pages, there's a small fee. The one downside is they put their logo on the cover page of the free version, but that's never been an issue with the IRS receiving my documents. Just make sure you still include all your identifying info clearly.
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Emma Thompson
•Thanks for the suggestion! Does FaxZero provide confirmation that the fax was successfully delivered? That's my main concern - I need proof the IRS actually received my documents.
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NeonNebula
•Yes, they do send an email confirmation once the fax has been successfully delivered. The confirmation includes the time of delivery and the number of pages transmitted. I always save these emails as proof of submission. I'd still recommend following up with the IRS a week or so after sending anything important, just to make sure it was properly filed in their system. Even with confirmation, things can get lost in the shuffle at the IRS.
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Anastasia Kozlov
Has anyone tried just using the IRS e-file system instead of faxing? I've submitted most of my documents electronically through their portals and haven't needed to fax anything for the past two years.
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Sean Kelly
•E-file is great for tax returns, but there are tons of other IRS forms that can't be e-filed. Things like penalty abatements, audit responses, and amended returns often need to be faxed or mailed. The IRS is slowly modernizing but still has a long way to go!
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Anastasia Kozlov
•Thanks for explaining that. I guess I've been lucky that my tax situation has been simple enough to handle through e-file. Sounds like faxing is still necessary for more complex situations. Crazy that in 2025 we're still relying on 1980s technology to communicate with the government!
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Misterclamation Skyblue
I've been using RingCentral Fax for sending documents to the IRS and it's been solid. What I really like about it is that they provide detailed transmission reports that include not just delivery confirmation, but also the exact time stamps and even the quality of the transmission. One thing I learned the hard way - always double-check the IRS fax number you're sending to. Different departments have different fax numbers, and I once sent my documents to the wrong one and had to resend everything. The IRS website has a directory of fax numbers by department and form type. Also, if you're sending multiple pages, I'd recommend calling the IRS first to confirm they received everything. Even with confirmation receipts, pages can sometimes get separated or lost in their system. Better to verify than to find out months later that they're missing page 3 of your submission!
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Lucas Turner
•That's a great point about double-checking the fax numbers! I made a similar mistake once and it was such a headache. Do you happen to know if there's a specific page on the IRS website that lists all the department fax numbers? I've had trouble finding a comprehensive directory in the past and usually end up calling to confirm the right number, which defeats the purpose of trying to avoid phone calls in the first place.
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