Can I Take Late Returns to My Local IRS Office?

Taxpayer Assistance Centers no longer accept returns for filing. You should mail your late returns to the correct IRS processing center.

There are IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) located all across the country. They can provide you with personal, face-to-face tax assistance if you have a problem that can’t be resolved online or over the phone.

However, you cannot go to a local IRS office with the sole intention of filing your return. The office will not accept it. Instead, they will ask you either to e-file or mail it directly to an IRS Processing Center.

In the old days it used to be that you could turn in a return for filing at one of these local office. But the IRS has seen its budget reduced in recent years and has cut its staff as a result. It’s simply not efficient for the IRS to employ people to do something taxpayers can.

When should you go to a TAC?

I wouldn’t go to a TAC just for general tax advice that could be gotten online or from a tax agent. Taxpayers Assistance Centers are great if you have already attempted to file your tax return and the IRS has rejected it. Or they have found a problem with it and have contacted you for more information. In these cases, visiting a TAC may be the fastest route to resolving the problem.

Some TAC locations now also verify passports and national ID cards for Form W-7 [Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number].

If you do go to a TAC, make sure to bring a valid photo ID and a Taxpayer Identification Number, such as your Social Security number.

How to find a TAC and where to mail your return

You can find the nearest Taxpayer Assistance Center by accessing this map on the IRS website.

You can find the address to mail your return here. There are several different processing centers around the country. Where you mail your return depends on where you live and whether you are including payment.

If you need assistance from the IRS for any reason you can call 1-800-829-1040. They’re open Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific Time).

And remember, PriorTax can help you prepare any late tax returns you haven’t taken care of yet.

Photo via David Pursehouse on Flickr.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 13th, 2013 at 7:34 pm and is filed under Taxes for Prior Years. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.