Communicating with the IRS....

Electronic fax app, not that a fax will arrive soon enough to help with that particular phone call (for some unbeknownst reason sometimes it can take over 20 mins for them to get the fax you send), but it will eventually be received.

Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative

• Processed 12 business days after receipt

https://www.irs.gov/help/processing-status-for-tax-forms

What they’re saying is that the fax machine is a way to get past the mailroom, where there are not enough people to sort thousands of items and get them to the right desk.  A lot of it gets scanned and then forwarded through what’s basically an internal fax machine.

During Covid, the fax machines would run out of paper and delivery/maintenance people were not allowed inside the building.  I think they are past that stage. I pay $5 a month for my fax number and the ability, seldom used, to receive a limited number and to send a document uploaded from my computer.  

As you know, the “false economists” at IRS dismissed 22% of employees, so now are assigning untrained GS-7s to do GS-4 work. Democracy in action!  There’s an election in less than four months, which will only add to the stalemates, and again (we hope) in more than two years, which might help.  We declared independence from the country that has had seven prime ministers in ten years.  Its system can effect change a lot faster than ours.   

But hey, you got someone on the phone!

Yes, Grace, they did answer the phone - point well taken - and we did have a nice chat.  But I’ve heard from others that the ‘efax’ systems don’t deliver timely enough to resolve the matter while on the phone (i.e., within the 2 ‘5 to 7 minute’ segments for which they can put you on hold) and ignoring confidentiality issues altogether.

Somehow, they simply need a website where you can upload a document, they can see it - even if not download it - and work to resolve the matter (for problems within their own system).  Comments on the layoffs are noted but I’m not sure a change in administration will help.  This is simply a transition problem from old technology to new technology (without any real planning) and for which a few temporary patches are needed in between.  I’m reluctant to purchase a new fax machine - if that’s even possible....

We have kept out antique fax machine solely for IRS and some states.

It doesn't help that the guy supposedly running IRS is also allegedly running Social Security.  A friend who watched his videotape performance at a recent IRS Practitioner Seminar says he seemed to have recently suffered a stroke. I don’t know, I wasn’t there.  

​@Taxes-by-Rocky  - you are in luck.  I have one “slightly used” fax machine for sale.  I assume we paid a little over a couple of hundred bucks for it when we bought it a number of years ago.  I have hung on to it since the last IRS audit I had was during COVID and faxing was the only way I could get information to the IRS agent.  For you, and you alone, I am willing to sell it to you for $2,000 (complete with extra toner).  I don’ t need it any longer.  If I need to fax anything in the future, I’ll just e-mail the information to you and I know you would be willing to fax if for me. 😁

Extra toner, tempting!

How about we trade the fax machine for some surplus printer toner cartridges?  In fact, their sitting right where the fax machine used to be. 🤣🤣

That might work.  Now if you had a typewriter and some carbon paper I’m sure we could work out a deal.😀

I have some of that old ‘heat-sensitive’ paper you used to run thru some kind of machine to make duplicates.

Anyone interested?