Change of Address | Tax Tip of the Week | No. 96

Remember to Change Your Address With the IRSIn our constantly mobile society, many of us change our address several times during our lifetime.  While you may remember to file a change of address with the post office to forward your regular mail, you may not think about changing your mailing address with the IRS.Why should you notify the IRS of an address change?  The IRS has up to three years after a tax return has been filed (or is due) to notify a taxpayer of any discrepancy, tax due or failure to file.  Any notices are sent to the address that the particular return was filed under.  They then have seven additional years to collect .  Even though you have not physically received the notice, you are still responsible for the payment or correcting any errors and you will be located for the payment.If your address has changed, you need to notify the IRS to ensure you receive any IRS refund or correspondence. If you change your address before filing your return, simply update your address on the tax return.  The update will occur when the IRS processes your return.If you change your address after filing your return, you should notify the post office that services your old address. Because not all post offices forward government checks, notifying the post office that services your old address ensures that your mail will be forwarded, but not necessarily your refund check. To change your address with the IRS, you may complete a Form 8822 (PDF), Change of Address, and send it to the address shown on the form. You may download Form 8822 from the IRS website (www.irs.gov) or order it by calling 800–TAX–FORM (800–829–3676).You may also write to inform the IRS of your address change. If you write, you will need your full name, old and new addresses, and your Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number and your signature. If you filed a joint return, you should provide the same information and signatures for both spouses. Send your written address change information to the campus where you filed your last return. The campus addresses are listed in the instructions to the tax forms.If you filed a joint return and you and/or your spouse have since established separate residences, you both should notify the IRS of your new addresses.As always, give us a call if you have any questions.This week’s author is Linda Johannes, CPAYou can contact us in Dayton at 937-436-3133 and in Xenia at 937-372-3504.  Or visit our website.Rick Prewitt - the guy behind TTW...until next week.