IRS Certified letter addressed to a relative

[EngDoc]

I keep getting mail for my brother (who lives in another city in my state) at my home. He has never lived with me. The only sense I can make of this is that my parents lived with me briefly; perhaps this is a holdover from when my brother was a student and theirs was his permanent address?

Today I had an "attempted delivery" notice from the post office for a certified letter from the IRS, addressed to him. In the past I have forwarded mail to him; obviously I can't do that in this case. He swears his accountant/tax attorney has contacted the IRS before about this problem. When I called him tonight, he said he would have him contact them again.

What should I do with the delivery notice? Should I write a note on it explaining that my brother has never lived at this address and leave it on the door? Call the IRS myself? Can something happen to ME (i.e. the police show up at my door) if this goes unresolved?

Please help! I'm probably overreacting, but I'm tired of dealing with this!

[irsos]

Originally Posted by EngDoc

I keep getting mail for my brother (who lives in another city in my state) at my home. He has never lived with me. The only sense I can make of this is that my parents lived with me briefly; perhaps this is a holdover from when my brother was a student and theirs was his permanent address?

Today I had an "attempted delivery" notice from the post office for a certified letter from the IRS, addressed to him. In the past I have forwarded mail to him; obviously I can't do that in this case. He swears his accountant/tax attorney has contacted the IRS before about this problem. When I called him tonight, he said he would have him contact them again.

What should I do with the delivery notice? Should I write a note on it explaining that my brother has never lived at this address and leave it on the door? Call the IRS myself? Can something happen to ME (i.e. the police show up at my door) if this goes unresolved?

Please help! I'm probably overreacting, but I'm tired of dealing with this!

As long as you have informed your brother of the letters, do nothing.

[Zigner]

Or...just write "Not at this address" on the card/mail and return it.

[Zigner]

Originally Posted by irsos

As long as you have informed your brother of the letters, do nothing.

He is under no obligation to do even that...

[EngDoc]

I've written the comment on the delivery notification and I'll stick that on my door, thanks.

I don't know what the situation is that he's dealing with; he won't say and it's really not my business. I just hope it's not really serious (for him OR for me--you're sure they won't come knocking on my door? )

Thanks--I feel much better about this!

[LdiJ]

Originally Posted by EngDoc

I've written the comment on the delivery notification and I'll stick that on my door, thanks.

I don't know what the situation is that he's dealing with; he won't say and it's really not my business. I just hope it's not really serious (for him OR for me--you're sure they won't come knocking on my door? )

Thanks--I feel much better about this!

He owes them money and odds are the certified letter is an "intent to levy" letter. No, they won't come knocking on your door.

However, unless your house used to belong to your parents, and unless your brother lived there at one time, its likely your brother deliberately used your address to hide from the IRS.

[EngDoc]

He's actually not "hiding"--I didn't want to get into the complexities of this too much, but he had a name change about three years ago. He's been paying taxes under that name. Some of this is truly a snafu (though he was delinquent or something, apparently, before the name change); I just don't know that I trust that he and his "tax guy" have really stayed on top of it.....