What address to mail certified to IRS

[dkh]

 I haven't mailed anything certified to IRS before.  I have a 2016 tax return 😞 to mail.     Do I mail to addresses listed for Private Delivery Service?     

Have a conundrum - 2016 Federal returns for state of Indiana went to Fresno, CA                                                                                now Federal returns for state of Indiana  go to Kansas City, MO     

 Which processing center do I send to?     I believe Kansas City but don't want to get it wrong.

Thanks for helping.

[chasetax]

My opinion/practice---mail returns etc to current year addresses.  Returns may get transferred by IRS to old locations, but I don't feel comfortable sending paperwork to a possible non-existent office.

[dkh]

And I should use the address for PDS?      Is sending certified even necessary or just pay for proof of mailing?

[chasetax]

If you send certified--that is United States Post Office.  If PDS then that is mail delivered by UPS, Fedex, et al.  Certified only shows something was mailed and received but does not necessarily show what was inside envelope that was received.  If they owe, enclosing a check(and having it clear) shows IRS has received the package.

[BobKamman · Accepted solution]

@chasetax  " If they owe, enclosing a check (and having it clear) shows IRS has received the package."

But it only shows that there was a check in the package.  Or maybe the check was in another envelope, and the package was empty.    But I doubt that the anxiety over the mailing address is due to owing taxes -- there's no doubt a refund involved.

IRS Service Centers have their own ZIP Code, but sometimes the 4-digit extension helps get the mail sorted.  The Post Office delivers to the physical IRS paperwork factory.  I wouldn't stand in line on the day before April 15-in-July, even wearing a mask, to mail something certified.  But I have enough outgoing mail, for various reasons, that I pay a monthly fee for stamps.com and get a tracking number and delivery confirmation on large envelopes and packages.  

[dkh]

@BobKamman    Thanks,  the tracking number and delivery confirmation sounds reasonable over mailing certified.    And yes, its a refund.  A stupid W2 I found stuck in a skinny little file.....aaahhhh. 

[BobKamman]

Usually when IRS discovers a missing W-2, it means a CP-2000.  You're lucky.

I think postage can be printed from the USPS website, that includes a tracking number, if you don't have commercial software that does that.  

[dkh]

I have a postage meter for standard mailings, no software.   I made the trip to the PO.  Small town, not too busy.  The county is under mandatory masks in public. 

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