What Do You Do If You Lost Your Income Tax Check?
One of the most troubling aspects of losing a tax check is figuring out how to get a new one. Although the process for getting your refund replaced is a bit tedious, it is straightforward and easy to understand. You only need follow a series of sequential directions and be patient with the slow, and sometimes meandering, processes of the Internal Revenue Service.
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Importance
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Refund checks expire on the last day of the 12th month from the issue date -- one year. If your check is lost, or if it is lost and found but has expired, then you need to initiate the process to have your refund check replaced by the IRS.
Preliminary Steps
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Call the refund hotline at 800-829-1954 to check the status of your refund. This automated system will advise you as to whether your refund has completed processing or been mailed. If the refund has been sent, the system will provide you with the date on which the refund was mailed or direct deposited. The IRS advises that you allow seven to 10 days mailing time for paper checks. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 if it has been at least 30 days from the date the refund was mailed and you still haven't received your check. The check could have been lost during mailing, in which case, the check will be returned to the IRS and reissued. If the IRS confirms that it has received the check, then you do not need to take any further action.
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Remedies
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If you have confirmed that your IRS check was lost in the mail or that you received and lost the IRS check, then you should complete IRS Form 3911 and mail it to the address listed in the instructions for the form. Once the IRS receives Form 3911, it will initiate a trace of your check to determine if the check was cashed. If the check was not cashed, the IRS will reissue the check to you, but if the check was cashed, the IRS will intensify an investigation to determine by whom the check was cashed. Often, the IRS will send the taxpayer a request for a signature to compare the taxpayer's signature with the one on the back of the cashed check. Allow at least six weeks for this process. If you find your check after you've already mailed form 3911 to the IRS, then call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to determine if you're allowed to cash the check. In addition, the IRS has added a functionality to their "Where's My Refund" page, which allows you to electronically trace your refund check. You will need to input your Social Security number, filing status and the dollar amount of your refund to access this feature.
Considerations
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If you request that the IRS mail your refund check, it will forward the check to the address on the return. Filers who move after filing their return should complete the IRS change of address form 8822 to ensure that their refund check reaches their new address.
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