Erroneous refund check

[bean29]

I have a tax refund check in my possession from Tax year 2017 re:  our personal (1040) return. I would have preferred it be applied to 2018. I did not forget I had it, but I was busy and did not send it back to the IRS. The check date is 11/02/2018. So, tax topic says you can return it to the IRS as long as it is not more than 21 days old. 

Can I still write void on the check and return it to the IRS, or do I have to deposit it my bank account and send the $$ back via EFTPS? 

www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc161

I tried to call the IRS help line, but they are not taking phone calls.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

I tried to call the IRS help line, but they are not taking phone calls.

Government shut down. 

[Value Buy]

Dec 27, 2018 11:15:41 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

I tried to call the IRS help line, but they are not taking phone calls.

Government shut down. 

Just wondering....does the IRS get shut down or are they still operating today?

[ken a.k.a OMK]

The plan identifies 9,946 IRS employees as “excepted/exempt” employees who would not be furloughed. The rest of the IRS’s 79,868 employees (as of Nov. 10) would be furloughed, meaning they will be put on leave of absence without pay, under 5 C.F.R. Section 752.402.



Certain IRS activities will continue during a shutdown, including activities already funded outside of the Continuing Appropriations Act and activities necessary for safety of human life or protection of government property. These activities include continuing to complete and test upcoming filing year programs; processing electronic returns, up to the point of refund; processing paper tax returns through “batching”; processing remittances; and maintaining criminal law enforcement operations.



However, most IRS activities will stop during a shutdown. These “non-excepted” activities under the plan include:



Issuing refunds;

Processing Form 1040X amended returns;

All audit functions and examinations of returns;

Processing paper tax returns that do include remittances; and

Taxpayer services, such as answering taxpayer questions.

I was talking to an employee Thursday helping me get my deceased mothers refund. She told me she wouldn't be at work if there was a shut down

[TheOtherMe]

I had just found what Ken posted.  

[alabamagal]

Dec 27, 2018 11:07:42 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I have a tax refund check in my possession from Tax year 2017 re:  our personal (1040) return. I would have preferred it be applied to 2018. I did not forget I had it, but I was busy and did not send it back to the IRS. The check date is 11/02/2018. So, tax topic says you can return it to the IRS as long as it is not more than 21 days old. 

Can I still write void on the check and return it to the IRS, or do I have to deposit it my bank account and send the $$ back via EFTPS? 

www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc161

I tried to call the IRS help line, but they are not taking phone calls.

Why not just deposit it and then if you want send in some money on your 2018 if you want to. Seems like much easier than spending hours on hold with the IRS.

[bean29]

I don't know yet if I will owe the IRS $$. I probably will. If I send it back and apply it to my return it will save me interest they would assess. IDK yet how the tax law changes are going to affect us.

I did it once for work, our CPA told me to write void on it and send it back, but I don't remember how far after we received the check, I sent it back.

[rangerj]

Deposit the government check and make an "estimated tax payment" (Form 1040 ES) for the year.