Wrong SSN on mailed in estimated vouchers.

[KFTSTax]

Hello, I hope I have an easy one for someone.

New client this year.  Turns out their previous preparer entered the wrong SSN on their quarterly estimated tax vouchers that were mailed in.  What would the easiest way to correct this or ensure that they are credited correctly?

Thanks!

BTW, the tax return is correct.  Don't know how they could screw that one up.

[Happy-Tax · Accepted solution]

Here are some thoughts:

1/ Hopefully they wrote the correct SSN(s) on their checks, and hopefully the IRS took note of the glitch and attributed their payments to their account.

2/ I would call the Practitioner Priority line and check to see whether their account reflects their payments.

3/ The clients should be cautioned to keep their bank statements to document the payments if that should become necessary.

4/ The clients should be encouraged to set up an account at irs.gov, where they can view their account and payment history.

5/ The clients should be encouraged to make their estimated tax payments online at irs.gov to avoid these types or errors and mishandling of payments.

[linette]

Good points made already, I would just add that maybe you just explain to taxpayer, what has happened (which is sounds like you have) report correctly and wait to see what IRS does. 

I think it is totally possible that IRS has those payments in the right place and if they don't you reply to notice with proof of payment and it is fixed.

[BobKamman]

No one at IRS sees the payments, of course -- they're all processed by banks with lockbox operations.  But the vouchers have a four-letter name ID on them, don't they?  So IRS should be able to move them to the right account, and might have already done so.   Your concern, of course, should be whether the taxpayer with the SSN that was used, is going to file and receive an unexpectedly large refund.  

The best way to avoid identity theft and phishing scams is to not own a computer.  We don't know if the client is a yuppie with the latest iPhone, or a war veteran who remembers the first president whose four-letter name check was TRUM. They changed the name of Internal Revenue from Bureau to Service, because its job is to make life easier for taxpayers, not for taxpayers to make life easier for the government.  Pay your taxes, and do it online if that feels comfortable, but don't always ask "how high" when asked to jump.  

[KFTSTax]

Thanks for the input and replies!