Some Return Addresses really make my stomach turn

You know, you grab the mail, start tossing the junk in file 13; start pitching the bills into the basket to, er, pay later; and anything that you don't recognize -- you just leave on the counter, "for later."  So, the routine goes -- and it's pretty smooth for me.  I've even got the route from the front door, through the kitchen by the trashcan and into that spot I call a study, all mapped out and can do it without looking up as I go through the mail.  And then ... there it was.  The envelope with the return address that merely said, Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service.  One of the few return addresses that can really make my stomach turn.

Let's see.  I haven't filed taxes for 2007 yet so they can't have questions about what I haven't done.  I didn't buy, sell, gamble away anything, or deploy to combat in 2007, nor did The Boss.  Today, for reasons that can't be explained by science, my route from the kitchen to the study, swung by the liquor cabinet. 

Once fortified, I sliced open the envelope to see the one page letter that was asking, "Can you or your spouse prove that either of you were in a combat/hostile fire zone for the years XX, YY, and ZZ?"  I about passed-out as one of these years in question, was 12 years ago!  And we'd both been there in the intervening years ... we'd both been o'er there.

We recently moved into quarters on installation that were a bit smaller than those that we left, so when we were deciding what would go into Non-Temp Storage, a lot of our plastic bins were set out to go.  At the last moment on the last day, I pulled the one bin that contained all of the hard copies and the TurboTax CDs for the past 22 years ... and put it in the "goes to the new home" pile.  Thankfully.

I readily put my hands on both the TDY and PCS orders that had sent The Boss and I to the Middle East, as well as the paid vouchers that affirmed the Air Force knew we were there.  So, writing the letter back to the IRS was a snap -- all because I refuse to depart with our Federal Income tax returns ... no sir, they may have tripped-up Al Capone on an income tax issue, but not me.

Moral to the story?  Keep your documentation of all combat deployments.  Keep your taxes sorted, filed in a rationale manner, and available.  And remember, a data file created on TurboTax 1995 won't run on TurboTax 2007 (yes, I did try!), so keep the data disk for each year as well.

I still don't like getting mail from the IRS, but because we had our information readily available, it was a non-issue. (I hope ...)  O&O, MaintenanceToadOne

Comments

[Sarah]

Ick ick ick.
12 years later...that's just absurd.
Good luck straightening it out!

[airforcewife]

12 Years? I thought that there was a 5 year moratorium on back taxes investigations...

I've got to ask an accountant about that. We keep all our tax information forever, but we only keep the last 5 years close and handy.

[Erin]

We deal with child support issues, so around this time, I don't stress too much about the IRS letters. Glad to hear that the issue was resolved quickly and efficiently!

[Jewel]

I'm with you AirForceWife, what happended to a reasonable time limit on investigations? I got a pit in my stomach just reading your post, Toad. I had to deal with the IRS over the summer...while dh was deployed...perfect timing as usual! Thankfully everything worked out fine; they actually owed us money!

[She of the Sea]

I agree, that is just insane. I couldn't locate those records if I tried...orders from 12 years ago? Congratulations on being prepared!

[Maint Toad1]

AFW, et al ... (whomever "al" is ...)

I'm in agreement with you on the 5 year timeframe for an investigation ... alas, this letter wasn't worded like that. More like a letter from your Grandpa who found extra money under the mattress ... i.e., "Our records show that you or a family member served in a combat zone. To provide you with the special provisions and protection of the combat deferment, your account needs to correctly show the time served."
Hmmm, the IRS wants to do ME a favor??? I've walked downwind of a sheep herd and it didn't smell NEAR as bad as this letter. Figure we answered the questions; we'll see. Toad

[liberal army wife]

We got one of those letters.. scary things. But when I brought it up to DH, he said he'd gone online and taken care of it. he considered it basic housekeeping by the IRS.. helping them keep their records straight. Now THAT made me laugh!

LAW

[Laura, a Military Mom]

after reading this...12 years! I have decided that I need to pass this on to the family that they need to keep those "special" papers from their overseas times! Will be interested to know if you actually do get something out of this, or if it's just the IRS doing housekeeping.

[plc]

MaintToad1 it is nice to see a post from you. I love to read your writings! This post of course brought right back to a moment in my life. We were moving overseas and had to watch the weight of our household goods. So I thinned down my files and some of the stuff I had saved! I had electric and phone bills for over 7 years! It wasn't intentional, just pay the bill - file it and never think of it again. Well when I was thinning out the files it was pretty neat to see how I had been living the last 7 years. Who I was friends with, who I called the most. Where I shopped. Basically a financial paper trail from the ages of 20 to 27, going from single to being part of a couple. I almost wish I had kept the stuff so I could take another look back. Almost, but clutter is BAD. Most stay focused.

[plc]

What does the IRS do when you don't have any proof?

[Leesa R Gilmore]

MY QUESTION IS...IF A VETERAN DIES AND LEAVES A SPOUSE AND CHILDREN,SHOULD THE PENSION HE GOT BEEN REDUCED TO A THIRD? I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE.THE FAMILY IS STILL SURVIVING AND BILLS TO BE PAID AND WHY DENTAL,VISION AND HEARING ARE NOT COVERED IN THE INSURANCE.EARS,TEETH AND EYES ARE PART OF THE BODY.THEY SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN HEALTH COVERAGE. ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS TO CORRECT THIS PLEASE RESPOND.DURING VIETNAM MY HUSBAND VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY,HE DIDNT WAIT TO BE DRAFTED,HE WAS NEEDED URGENTLY,HE WENT.THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT A VETERAN AND HIS FAMILY.