If you filed your tax return and were entitled to a refund and tax credits and deductions, such as the Child Tax Credit, but that money has not reached your bank account or mailbox, there is a form you can submit to track and claim the payment.
Form 3911 notifies the IRS that you have not received the money to which you are entitled. In this way, the tax agency undertakes an investigation to determine where your payment is and why you have not received it.
While the form is generally used to claim tax refunds, it is also accepted by the IRS to track lost stimulus checks and Child Tax Credit payments.
WHEN SHOULD I SUBMIT FORM 3911?
The primary purpose of Form 3911 is to track missing payments, not to determine the accuracy of the amount or whether you meet the criteria to receive that money. You should only file Form 3911 if a significant amount of time has passed since you filed your tax return.
Before filing the form, you should consider that the tax agency has not yet processed millions of tax forms, so the payment of refunds is taking months instead of weeks. First check if your form is under review.
Another option, before submitting the form, is to track your federal tax refund online for free with the Where’s My Refund tool? The IRS advises that you should wait at least 24 hours after filing an electronic tax return before checking the status of your refund, and at least four weeks if you filed a paper return.
If it has been two weeks since you filed your electronic return, or six weeks since you filed a paper return, and you have no reasonable belief that your refund was lost or destroyed in transit, you should file Form 3911.
If you have good reason to believe that your payment was stolen or that your paper check was destroyed, you should report this to the IRS trace line at 1-800-919-9835 and immediately file Form 3911.
FOR MISSING ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS, THE IRS RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING WHEN FILING FORM 3911:
- 5 days have passed since your direct deposit date on Notice 1444
- It’s been 4 weeks since your check was mailed
- It’s been 6 weeks since the date it was mailed, but you moved in and submitted a forwarding address to the post office
- It has been 9 weeks since your check was mailed to a foreign address
CAN FORM 3911 BE ADJUSTED TO TRACK CHILD TAX CREDIT OR FINANCIAL STIMULATION PAYMENTS?
Since Form 3911 was designed for tax refunds and not for financial impact payments or the Child Tax Credit, you need to make some modifications before submitting it to the IRS.
“EIP” should be written at the top of the form if it is a stimulus check, or “CTC” if it is a child credit payment.
Then all questions must be answered as they relate to your missing payment. “Individual” is the type of declaration in point 7, 2020 is the tax period and the “filing date” should be left blank. Form 3911 must be signed by the taxpayer if they file taxes individually or by the couple if they do it jointly.
HOW SOON CAN I EXPECT A RESPONSE FROM THE IRS AFTER FILING FORM 3911?
You can expect a response within 6 to 8 weeks of filing Form 3911. Be aware that there will be delays as the tax agency continues to process millions of returns while issuing refunds and child credit payments.
HOW TO COMPLETE A FORM 3911 STEP BY STEP
You will need to provide the following information:
Consultation date
Tax return year
Reimbursement amounts
Refund Dates
Check or direct deposit
STATE:
The Postal Service returned the check because it was unable to deliver it
The check was not cashed within one year of the issue date and is required by law that it can no longer be cashed
Lost, stolen or destroyed
SECTION I
Name
ITIN or Social Security
Name of wife
ITIN or Social Security of the spouse
Address
Phone number
Modified personal information
Representative’s name
Return type
Type of refund requested
SECTION II – REIMBURSEMENT INFORMATION
Status: You did not receive a refund; lost, stolen or destroyed
Bank number and account where you normally cash or deposit checks
The transit numbers and account numbers shown on the return for refund were not received
SECTION III – CERTIFICATION
Company
Date
Spouse’s signature
Date
SECTION IV – DESCRIPTION OF VERIFICATION
Return Date
Amount
HOW DO I SEND THE FORM TO THE IRS ONCE I COMPLETE?
By fax or by post. You must mark the EIP or CTC Tracking Request on the envelope before submitting it.
These are the addresses by state:
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont
Andover Internal Revenue Service, 310 Lowell St., Andover, MA 01810
Fax: 855-253-3175
Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Virginia
Atlanta Internal Revenue Service, 4800 Buford Hwy., Chamblee, GA 30341
Fax: 855-275-8620
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas
Austin Internal Revenue Service, 3651 S. Interregional Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78741
Fax: 855-203-7538
New York
Brookhaven Internal Revenue Service, 1040 Waverly Ave., Holtsville, NY 11742
Fax: 855-297-7736
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Fresno Internal Revenue Service, 5045 E. Butler Ave., Fresno, CA 93888
Fax: 855-332-3068
Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia
Kansas City Internal Revenue Service, 333 W. Pershing Rd., Kansas City, MO 64108
Fax: 855-344-9993
Alabama, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee
Memphis Internal Revenue Service, 5333 Getwell Rd. Memphis, TN 38118
Fax: 855-580-4749
District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
Philadelphia Internal Revenue Service: 2970 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Fax: 855-404-9091
A foreign country, US territory, you use an APO or FPO address, you file Form 2555 or 4563
Austin Internal Revenue Service, 3651 S. Interregional Hwy 35, Austin, TX 7874
Fax: 855-203-7538
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