ATLANTA — Monday marks three weeks until April 15 and the deadline for taxes. As the date approaches, hundreds of people are reaching out to 11Alive News concerned about a massive mail delivery issue affecting metro Atlanta and Georgia right now.
“I have a lot of out-of-state clients,” Stephanie Loose, a certified public accountant (CPA) in Mableton, shared. “I started getting clients saying ‘where's my stuff?’ ‘Where's my stuff?’”
Loose said that was the indicator that something was happening with the local postal service. Every season, she typically uses the United States Postal Service (USPS) to process clients’ tax returns, but mail delays linked to Georgia’s new processing and regional distribution center threaten that timeline for filers scrambling to locate documents in limbo.
The delays are a problem that 11Alive has been tracking for nearly a month, with viewers reaching out across the metro desperate to track down packages and vital documents that have not made it to their destination after weeks in the system
“Typically, sending information to my clients out of state, it takes up to three days,” Loose shared. “And now, 17, 19, 12 days. Unacceptable.”
Dwayne Cross in Jonesboro is equally frustrated. His tax documents and those he sent on behalf of his father are also unaccounted for.
“[The package] was supposed to be delivered by March 4, but it wasn't, and there was no updates,” Cross said. “Even the Georgia state tax, which is right here, it showed nothing, absolutely nothing .”
The postal service continues to decline 11Alive’s request for an interview and a visit to the Palmetto facility, but our team goes back to corporate communications daily, seeking answers to viewer questions about refunds for services paid for, a timeline for fixing delays and whether Georgia will get more resources to help.
Last week, USPS updated its original statement, telling 11Alive in part that “operations are improving as we continue to make significant investments in the Atlanta area, including new sorting machines, upgraded facilities and more efficient transportation, that will help ensure our organization can provide reliable delivery services for years to come.”
In the interim, the IRS shared some advice for filers. The agency recommends taxpayers use electronic filing methods like IRS Free File or alternative e-file service providers. For those who need to file via mail, the IRS considers a tax return filed on time if it is addressed correctly, has enough postage and is postmarked by the due date.
The Georgia Department of Revenue said it's monitoring delays with the post office system and is also recommending Georgians to pay electronically.
"As a reminder, individuals must have their returns and payments postmarked by April 15. The return and payment do not have to be received by DOR by April 15," the department said in a statement to 11Alive. "We highly encourage all Georgians to pay electronically through the Georgia Tax Center and file with an approved software vendor. Not only does this get around any postal delays, but it also increases the speed at which taxpayers receive their refunds. The same applies for other tax types, including sales and use tax, corporate income tax, and withholding taxes."
Overall, Loose cautions those who still use the mail to avoid dropping documents in the post office box.
“That postmark is vitally important,” she said. “Go to the post office. Watch them put the stamp on it yourself.”
Both Loose and the IRS also advise direct deposit as the fastest and most secure return.
“Can you imagine if you had to wait two or three extra weeks to get it through the mail?” Loose said. “This is straight into your bank account. What a great way to solve this problem.”
For those who wish to use other carriers to send tax documents, please see the IRS list of appropriate addresses. Also, for more information about guidelines to avoid tax return mistakes, reduce processing delays and refund adjustments, click here.