Newsletter from
Steve Richardson & Company, Certified Public Accountants
May 5, 2025
US Priority Mail is no guarantee!
Checks to the IRS and for State Taxes are a BAD idea!
To Our Clients and Friends:
A client just told me—literally five minutes ago—that Virginia lost his tax payment. He mailed his check to the Virginia Department of Taxation using Priority Mail, following my instructions because it’s a trackable method. We know the check was delivered. But Virginia simply lost it.
Unfortunately, this is not unusual.
A few months ago, during a seminar, my colleague Amy and I heard a representative from the IRS say something startling:
“If you mail us a paper check, and it actually arrives (which is doubtful), there’s still an 85% chance it will be either miscoded or lost.”
That statement stuck with us—and now, this incident with Virginia confirms it again.
Please hear this clearly:
Do not mail checks to tax authorities—ever.
Instead, always use a secure online portal to pay your taxes. These systems are faster, safer, and provide instant confirmation.
Here are the official sites for a few key tax authorities:
- IRS: www.irs.gov
- Alabama: myalabamataxes.alabama.gov
- Virginia: individual.tax.virginia.gov
Every state has a similar online system that allows you to pay taxes and manage your account securely. If you need help accessing yours, let us know—we’re happy to walk you through it.