A California couple was trapped in the seventh level of bureaucratic hell. They aren’t just dealing with the IRS: they’re apparently dealing with a part of the IRS whose talent for losing paperwork rivals only Bank of America. They’ve sent in their 2010 tax return four times, and the IRS keeps losing it.

The couple owed taxes that year, and mailed a check that was cashed in 2011. Checks and returns get processed separately, so that part makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is what happened to their original tax return…and the three subsequent ones. One of which the husband hand-delivered to the IRS office.

The couple didn’t find out that something was wrong until the following year, when their refund check didn’t show up.
CBS Sacramento was able to refer the couple to the same organization we recommend when you’re doing battle with the IRS: the Taxpayer Advocate Service. They’re like a special squad that helps taxpayers who are having trouble with the agency, but is independent from its bureaucracy.

Call Kurtis: The IRS Keeps Asking For My 2010 Tax Return! [CBS Sacramento]

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