how to get your tax returns

[simple_male 1]

I tried the following sequence and it worked for me:

1-800-829-1040 => 2 => 2 => SSN => 1 => 1 => 4 => Address => 4 => Year => 1 => 1 => 2 => Year

And so on. This is an automated system. So it will send you the transcripts to the address that the IRS system has. If someone wants them in a different address, then this option is not going to work. In that case, speaking with a live person will do it.

You're calling from in the US or out of it? it sounds like you might have been getting similar prompts to what sadie observed. Would be good to figure out how that's happening. ttyl,

mich

I am in USA...in the America's heartland, the Midwest.

Edited May 9, 2006 by simple_male

[iceyspots 0]

Man I tried to do it today with the touchtone and it was very different layout, I got through to an operator and she was able to order the transcripts for me.

[sadie33138 0]

Call 1-800-829-1040

Press 3 for automated services

Enter your SSN

Press 1 to confirm it's an SSN

Press 1 to confirm the SSN is correct

Press 4 to order transcripts (or copies)

Enter your street address (for example, if you live at 123 Main Street, enter 123)

Press 4 to get an account transcript and return transcript (nothing more for them to request and it's free anyways )

Enter the tax year you want to request

Press 1 to confirm the year (eg, 2005)

Press 1 to confirm the (free) order (eg, trasncript of account and return for 2005)

Press 2 to request another, and go back to the year line above or

Press 3 to end the call.

So for two years of returns (and btw, you can also make multiple requests for the same year in the same call):

1-800-829-1040=>3=>SSN=>1=>1=>4=>HOUSE=>4=>YEAR=>1=>1=>2=>YEAR=>1=>1=>3

mich

Ok, so I decided I was willing to try it one more time and see what happened. This time I called at 5:30pm NZ time which is 1:30am EDT in the US so I knew that IRS would be closed and if I ever could access the Automated System it would be now. I dialed 1-800-829-1040 and the message said the offices were closed, yata yata yata and then gave me three choices, #3 was Automated and then I got all the way to #4 Transcripts. When I pushed 4 for transcripts, I got the message that the office was currently closed, please call during regular office hours, thank you for calling and disconnect. What I think is happening is that the system recognizes from my SSN that I live out of the country and therefore need to talk to a live person as the system is probably not set up for foreign addresses. I would be interested in hearing if anyone else tried to use the automated service from outside the US.

[sarah and hicham 3]

I called tonight and got transcripts from the last 3 years sent to me in under 2 minutes over the phone! Thanks for the post very helpful.

[phirephly 0]

Call 1-800-829-1040

Press 3 for automated services

Enter your SSN

Press 1 to confirm it's an SSN

Press 1 to confirm the SSN is correct

Press 4 to order transcripts (or copies)

Enter your street address (for example, if you live at 123 Main Street, enter 123)

Press 4 to get an account transcript and return transcript (nothing more for them to request and it's free anyways )

Enter the tax year you want to request

Press 1 to confirm the year (eg, 2005)

Press 1 to confirm the (free) order (eg, trasncript of account and return for 2005)

Press 2 to request another, and go back to the year line above or

Press 3 to end the call.

So for two years of returns (and btw, you can also make multiple requests for the same year in the same call):

1-800-829-1040=>3=>SSN=>1=>1=>4=>HOUSE=>4=>YEAR=>1=>1=>2=>YEAR=>1=>1=>3

mich

Ok, so I decided I was willing to try it one more time and see what happened. This time I called at 5:30pm NZ time which is 1:30am EDT in the US so I knew that IRS would be closed and if I ever could access the Automated System it would be now. I dialed 1-800-829-1040 and the message said the offices were closed, yata yata yata and then gave me three choices, #3 was Automated and then I got all the way to #4 Transcripts. When I pushed 4 for transcripts, I got the message that the office was currently closed, please call during regular office hours, thank you for calling and disconnect. What I think is happening is that the system recognizes from my SSN that I live out of the country and therefore need to talk to a live person as the system is probably not set up for foreign addresses. I would be interested in hearing if anyone else tried to use the automated service from outside the US.

you might be right about that... i hope that someone else can add their experience from outside the US to verify. still seems rude to just disconnect you without explaining at all. thanks for trying again.

I called tonight and got transcripts from the last 3 years sent to me in under 2 minutes over the phone! Thanks for the post very helpful.

whew! finally, it worked perfectly for someone! glad it was helpful for you. this system was very helpful for me, so i wanted to help the other people here with it too

[chris123 0]

Howdy everybody... It pops up here once in a while about what you need when it talks about copies of your tax returns for affadavits of support, etc. Apparently, transcripts are perfectly legit... now how do you get those? Let me walk you right through it (for most people, at least):

Call 1-800-829-1040

Press 3 for automated services

Enter your SSN

Press 1 to confirm it's an SSN

Press 1 to confirm the SSN is correct

Press 4 to order transcripts (or copies)

Enter your street address (for example, if you live at 123 Main Street, enter 123)

Press 4 to get an account transcript and return transcript (nothing more for them to request and it's free anyways )

Enter the tax year you want to request

Press 1 to confirm the year (eg, 2005)

Press 1 to confirm the (free) order (eg, trasncript of account and return for 2005)

Press 2 to request another, and go back to the year line above or

Press 3 to end the call.

mich

When I called 1-800-829-1040 the first set of options gave #3 as Business Accounts not Automated Services. I tried it twice (at International Rates) because at first I thought I misdialed. Didn't. So, could you doublecheck this sequence please? Thanks.

I got mine through Accuverify - i guess they do it for lawyers and banks - google it. They will get it for you in 1 - 2 days. You just have to fill out IRS form 4506-t and fax it to them. They get it from the IRS and email you a pdf copy. I got mine in 2 days.

Good luck.

Chris

[chris123 0]

Can you also request these transcripts be delivered to a different address?

You can have it emailed to you. I used accuverify.

[simple_male 1]

Can you also request these transcripts be delivered to a different address?

You can have it emailed to you. I used accuverify.

It would be a good option, if someone needs them within 2-3 days. But when you call IRS and speak with a live person, you can have the live person fax them to you, provided that you are in front of the fax machine in order to verify the fax delivery. Otherwise, it takes about 5-10 days to get them by mail.

[sadie33138 0]

Can you also request these transcripts be delivered to a different address?

You can have it emailed to you. I used accuverify.

It would be a good option, if someone needs them within 2-3 days. But when you call IRS and speak with a live person, you can have the live person fax them to you, provided that you are in front of the fax machine in order to verify the fax delivery. Otherwise, it takes about 5-10 days to get them by mail.

I am in New Zealand and I started calling IRS at 1-800-829-1040 in March trying to get transcripts. System disconnected me twice (at international rates) by the time I got to #4 Transcripts option and would not let me use the automated system or talk to a live person. Message said they were overloaded, to call back & then a disconnect. So I mailed the request form. Two days ago I got a letter from IRS telling me my SSN number did not match their records & gave me a different phone number to call between 8am-2pm ET. That is between 12midnight & 6am NZ time. I got up at 5:30 yesterday morning to call them. Dialed & got the message-leave your name & phone number and we will call you. Then the message: Sorry the mailbox is full, call back later, goodbye. So then I called the 1-800-829-1040 and GOT THROUGH to a live person. She put me on hold and never came back, after telling me my address was wrong in their system and that no one would email or fax transcripts to me from IRS. So, I called back and got through again to a very nice guy who promised he wouldn't hang up on me and promised he is sending the transcripts. It took IRS 6 weeks to send me a letter saying my # did not match their records, which is crazy as the # is correct and I had sent in a change of address in 2004, paid my taxes from here for 2004 & 2005 and got a refund both years. Two most difficult things to get for me have been the bank letter from BOA and the transcripts from the IRS.

[phirephly 0]

Can you also request these transcripts be delivered to a different address?

You can have it emailed to you. I used accuverify.

It would be a good option, if someone needs them within 2-3 days. But when you call IRS and speak with a live person, you can have the live person fax them to you, provided that you are in front of the fax machine in order to verify the fax delivery. Otherwise, it takes about 5-10 days to get them by mail.

I am in New Zealand and I started calling IRS at 1-800-829-1040 in March trying to get transcripts. System disconnected me twice (at international rates) by the time I got to #4 Transcripts option and would not let me use the automated system or talk to a live person. Message said they were overloaded, to call back & then a disconnect. So I mailed the request form. Two days ago I got a letter from IRS telling me my SSN number did not match their records & gave me a different phone number to call between 8am-2pm ET. That is between 12midnight & 6am NZ time. I got up at 5:30 yesterday morning to call them. Dialed & got the message-leave your name & phone number and we will call you. Then the message: Sorry the mailbox is full, call back later, goodbye. So then I called the 1-800-829-1040 and GOT THROUGH to a live person. She put me on hold and never came back, after telling me my address was wrong in their system and that no one would email or fax transcripts to me from IRS. So, I called back and got through again to a very nice guy who promised he wouldn't hang up on me and promised he is sending the transcripts. It took IRS 6 weeks to send me a letter saying my # did not match their records, which is crazy as the # is correct and I had sent in a change of address in 2004, paid my taxes from here for 2004 & 2005 and got a refund both years. Two most difficult things to get for me have been the bank letter from BOA and the transcripts from the IRS.

yikes, how annoying and frustrating! We keep getting a lot of run around and bad help from the people "running things" in the philippines too. The US stuff seems pretty easy. I'm glad you've finally got a handle on the tax stuff, though. If you don't mind my asking, what was the hard part about your bank letter from BOA? Was it that you had to do it remotely (guessing they don't have branches there)? I had no trouble with my bank... I went there and had it printed by the dude in a matter of minutes, though he had to manually add my deposits for the past year. Hope the guy you talked to follow through properly and your transcripts arrive shortly! ttyl,

mich

[sadie33138 0]

yikes, how annoying and frustrating! We keep getting a lot of run around and bad help from the people "running things" in the philippines too. The US stuff seems pretty easy. I'm glad you've finally got a handle on the tax stuff, though. If you don't mind my asking, what was the hard part about your bank letter from BOA? Was it that you had to do it remotely (guessing they don't have branches there)? I had no trouble with my bank... I went there and had it printed by the dude in a matter of minutes, though he had to manually add my deposits for the past year. Hope the guy you talked to follow through properly and your transcripts arrive shortly! ttyl,

mich

No BOA branches here. Basically it was the same type of runaround as I got from IRS. Some of the customer service reps didn't know what I was talking about. See my post #176165 about it. I finally got it but it wasn't easy and it should be and maybe it is because I am outside the US that it is so difficult, I don't know. What is so annoying about the tax transcripts ordeal is waiting all those weeks for it only to get a letter that says my info doesn't match theirs and then when I call the number they gave me,their stupid message box is full. Now, we wait again. I'm thinking of trying the Accuverify just as a backup.

[indreams 0]

I tried the following sequence and it worked for me:

1-800-829-1040 => 2 => 2 => SSN => 1 => 1 => 4 => Address => 4 => Year => 1 => 1 => 2 => Year

And so on. This is an automated system. So it will send you the transcripts to the address that the IRS system has. If someone wants them in a different address, then this option is not going to work. In that case, speaking with a live person will do it.

I apologize for bumping this, but since it's important information I thought it would be okay.

This was the method that worked for me, as simple_male posted. When I tried it the original poster's way, Option #3 also gave me Business Accounts. It would not let me request transcripts for years I didn't file my taxes, as someone else posted. It really was a simple process to order the transcripts, after I knew which numbers to press. I was just thankful I didn't have to speak to a human It does take a while because the automated voice rambles on, but so far this has been the least painful part of this whole process.

Thank you VisaJourney!

[sadie33138 0]

I tried the following sequence and it worked for me:

1-800-829-1040 => 2 => 2 => SSN => 1 => 1 => 4 => Address => 4 => Year => 1 => 1 => 2 => Year

And so on. This is an automated system. So it will send you the transcripts to the address that the IRS system has. If someone wants them in a different address, then this option is not going to work. In that case, speaking with a live person will do it.

I apologize for bumping this, but since it's important information I thought it would be okay.

This was the method that worked for me, as simple_male posted. When I tried it the original poster's way, Option #3 also gave me Business Accounts. It would not let me request transcripts for years I didn't file my taxes, as someone else posted. It really was a simple process to order the transcripts, after I knew which numbers to press. I was just thankful I didn't have to speak to a human It does take a while because the automated voice rambles on, but so far this has been the least painful part of this whole process.

Thank you VisaJourney!

Obviously this is much easier from inside the US. I began trying to get mine in early March. Have called, faxed, had my daughter try the automated, etc etc etc, see previous posts. Upshot: Still waiting.

[simple_male 1]

I tried the following sequence and it worked for me:

1-800-829-1040 => 2 => 2 => SSN => 1 => 1 => 4 => Address => 4 => Year => 1 => 1 => 2 => Year

And so on. This is an automated system. So it will send you the transcripts to the address that the IRS system has. If someone wants them in a different address, then this option is not going to work. In that case, speaking with a live person will do it.

I apologize for bumping this, but since it's important information I thought it would be okay.

This was the method that worked for me, as simple_male posted. When I tried it the original poster's way, Option #3 also gave me Business Accounts. It would not let me request transcripts for years I didn't file my taxes, as someone else posted. It really was a simple process to order the transcripts, after I knew which numbers to press. I was just thankful I didn't have to speak to a human It does take a while because the automated voice rambles on, but so far this has been the least painful part of this whole process.

Thank you VisaJourney!

Glad to hear that the my method worked for you. We should thank phirephly to start ths topic.

[phirephly 0]

I tried the following sequence and it worked for me:

1-800-829-1040 => 2 => 2 => SSN => 1 => 1 => 4 => Address => 4 => Year => 1 => 1 => 2 => Year

And so on. This is an automated system. So it will send you the transcripts to the address that the IRS system has. If someone wants them in a different address, then this option is not going to work. In that case, speaking with a live person will do it.

I apologize for bumping this, but since it's important information I thought it would be okay.

This was the method that worked for me, as simple_male posted. When I tried it the original poster's way, Option #3 also gave me Business Accounts. It would not let me request transcripts for years I didn't file my taxes, as someone else posted. It really was a simple process to order the transcripts, after I knew which numbers to press. I was just thankful I didn't have to speak to a human It does take a while because the automated voice rambles on, but so far this has been the least painful part of this whole process.

Thank you VisaJourney!

Glad to hear that the my method worked for you. We should thank phirephly to start ths topic.

Yeah... wish I would have known about this other menu system that people seem to get so I could have put it in my original post (or that I can edit it to put that info in there) so that people don't have to dig through all the comments to find it. More importantly, I wish I knew how people are getting it, so we can tell people which path to anticipate. I guess after the first prompt, you know which menu you received.

Indeed, it's a lot of rambling to get through... that's why it's helpful to know which option you'll push next... sometimes you can just skip the talking. I don't even listen to the NVC voice prompts anymore... I just 11141 case#, blah blah blah, then listen to him tell me that they don't have my case yet. It's automatic I'm glad people are finding this useful - that's exactly what I wanted to accomplish :-D

Thanks for your help as well simple_male. I'm glad that someone that could find the other menu system was able to document it for us.