A while back I wrote how I received a letter from the IRS saying I owed them a few dollars more. I didn't worry about it since they owed me and my family our economic stimulus check. I was certain they would cross check socials and deduct the money they wanted and send me the balance.
Well, as I wrote previously, that didn't happen.
My first letter back to them, without my sending them any money, got a response that I needed to pay and now there was another $13 bucks added on my bill.
Again I didn't pay explaining they owed me more than I owed them in a second letter.
The only thing I got back was another statement saying I was past due on the amount past due and another $13 buckos were added to the bill.
You may recall when I checked the IRS website wondering where my check was that they owed me, I was told there was no me and that the social security number I paid taxes with for more than four decades was an invalid number.
I don't have the patience to sit on a phone all day so I tried a third letter.
My first draft I threw away as calling them incompetent bumblers and idiots probably wouldn't go over well.
What I did instead is try to find my kinder, gentler side and hoped I would have my letter opened by someone who also was in a mellow and helpful mood that day.
This is the letter I sent.
Good morning:
I hope this finds the right person who will try and help me.
As you can see, I have enclosed the payment but something is wrong.
I am eligible for the $1200 stimulus check and expected you folks would deduct that from my taxes owed rather than send it to us.
I had no problem with that but something is amiss.
According to you folks, I have not gotten my check, or it has not gotten to you because I am ineligible for the stimulus check. You say I have an invalid social security number.
I have had that number for 50 years plus and since you have billed me using that number, something doesn't make sense.
I do hope you can help. I'm just a little old man trying to make ends meet.
Thank you
Mike Fak
Yeh I know the little old man was a reach but 6 foot 3, 225 pounds is little by NFL standards.
Anyway, two weeks later I received an important notice that I would be receiving my economic stimulus check after taxes owed (Those $26 bucks in late fees were deducted).
A few days later, we in fact did receive a check and now I can have that operation to have my nose hairs added to the top of my head. Well, maybe it will go to a bill we need to pay instead.
I will never know who the IRS employee was who took the time to correct this obvious error. Unlike two predecessors who just dropped my notes in the wastebasket, this person actually did the fair and right thing.
I like to think it was a little old lady, about to retire, who had seen enough mistakes in her career that she wanted to fix at least one more before she turned the computer off in her cubicle forever.
I hope she has a great life.
Freelance writer, columnist, author and writing coach, ex-Chicagoan Mike Fak presently resides in Central Illinois. More information about Mike's services are available at his home website www.mikefak.com
Mike currently writes primarily humor columns for searchwarp bi-weekly and is the managing editor of www.lincolndailynews.com
Mike now offers a 26,000 word e-book on making money as a freelance writer for only $10.00 at this page. http://www.mikefak.com/id45.html
HI Mike, glad to hear it all finally worked out. And hey, nose hears transplanted to your head is just as important as any old bill :-) Thanks for the laugh.
Thanks to an anonymous person? You read a letter than told you what an anonymous person did for you? You READ an anonymous letter and accepted the help it provided? You better write to the IRS and tell them anonymous is not a name. You must get a name! If you don't, it's not legitimate!
Reading is a skill Stacy. I never said anonymous. I said unknown which in the context of an employee doing a job and is far different than someone submitting disparaging comments hiding behind anonymous.I have seen people compare apples to oranges. You have gone all the way to comparing apples to bowling balls.
I also wrote the letter. There was no letter for me to read.
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