Using a PO Box on a Return

[Chowdahead]

I have several clients who insist on using her PO Box as the address t go on their return, despite IRS instructions which state they must use their residence address. These clients live in areas or a building where they don't trust any mail going to, especially if it's a check.

How do you guys handle PO Boxes? Is there another location to enter a "mailing address" in the program?

[Jack from Ohio]

1234 Their Street PO BOX 999

Theirtown, ST, 99999

PO will deliver to the last address listed i.e. the PO BOX. I have used it this way for years.

[SCL]

as i read the very superficial instructions in the 1040 instruction book..."enter your box number only if your post office does not deliver mail to your home."

1) this has to be an irs suggestion/hope to be able to find a tax cheat at their home.

a hint for the irs - "sorry, I MOVED!!"...or just refer to the address of any politician or investment banker they know. that should keep them busy enough.

and isn't there something in the constitution or bill of rights about this?

2) i can totally understand folks who do not want mail/checks delivered to an insecure home address.

3) i have several cases in my rural and relatively secure little area of the world where the local post office defaults a mailing address to a post office box...like at "Cheers - Where everybody knows your name."

4) or, what jack said, lol.

[Dan]

I have used a P.O. Box number for years because we have to go to the post office to deliever and pick up our mail. The post office personal does not deliever mail to our physical address.

[taxxcpa]

Some people use a post office since both the husband and the wife claim Head of household and don't want to show the same address. I had a client that did that. His wife used a different tax preparer, so the only way I discovered it was that, after paying me in cash the first few times, he gave me a check which was a joint account with his wife.

I refused to do his taxes after that although he swore up and down that they were divorced.

[JohnH]

I have several clients who use PO Boxes and have never encountered any sort of problem. I've always regarded the instruction as a suggestion, rather than a requirement.

[TAXBILLY]

Agree with JohnH. Never had a problem.

taxbilly

[Lion EA]

When I worked for Block, they told us to use the address at which the client received mail; if that was a PO Box, that was what we were to use on the tax return. However, for their bank products, the physical address of their primary residence was required on all loan applications by the bank (maybe by homeland security), even if that did not match their mailing address. I had clients that got their mail at Mom's or a PO Box but lived elsewhere.

[ed_accountant]

I have a few that do this and there has never been a problem..

[Mel in Hawaii]

Where I live, the post office will return any mail that has the street address to the sender. IT doesn't matter if the post office box is listed on the next line, they STILL send it back. (Some postal emploees really have it in for you.) For the past 9 years I have been putting my PO box on there without any problems.

[TAXBILLY]

As I understand the post office system, they work from the bottom up in the address.

So it gets sorted by city and state, then the next line up. If the PO box is on that line then that's where it is delivered.

taxbilly

[Jack from Ohio]

As I understand the post office system, they work from the bottom up in the address.

So it gets sorted by city and state, then the next line up. If the PO box is on that line then that's where it is delivered.

taxbilly

You are COMPLETELY CORRECT. Also, anyone with a PO BOX will also have their street address tagged in the PO system to send mail to the PO BOX instead. Therefore, unless the Post Office makes an error (Never Happens???) any mail sent to their street address would be sent to the PO BOX instead.

Source: First Hand Experience with this very situation.

[B. Jani]

Always used po box when client wants it. Never a problem.