Replacing Vital Records and Tax Documents

I routinely work with clients who need to track down missing tax documents, obtain copies of tax returns, and replace other essential personal records. In today's RefDesk newsletter, I found this handy link: Replace Your Vital Documents, from FirstGov. According to the RefDesk summary, this FirstGov Web page is a "collection of links for help in replacing documents lost or damaged as a result of a natural disaster, such as bank records, driver's licenses and vehicle registration, immigration documents, passports, medical records, savings bonds, damaged currency, Social Security cards, tax returns, and birth, marriage, and death certificates."

For tax returns, you can ask the IRS to send you a computer printout of a tax return you filed (called a "return transcript"), or you can ask for a photocopy of the actual return you filed. Transcripts are free, and photocopies cost $39 per year you are requesting. You can order transcripts by filling out Form 4506-T. You can order photocopies by sending in Form 4506.

If you need help reconstructing your tax documents, the IRS issued important guidelines to follow. Although the guidelines were designed for the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricane victims, this IRS guidance actually provides a safe and reliable way to reconstruct your financial situation when important documents have been lost.