IRS closing paper tax return processing center in Fresno

The Internal Revenue Service plans to close its paper return processing center in Fresno, California, permanently at the end of this month, so taxpayers and tax professionals in some Western states will need to begin using a new mailing address.

The IRS has been experiencing long delays in processing paper tax returns as a result of the pandemic, so the closure does not come at a good time for the agency. The closure was originally announced in 2016 and is part of a larger, ongoing efficiency strategy to adjust to the fact most taxpayers now file electronically.

The number of individual returns taxpayers filed electronically has increased from 90 million in 2008 to over 145 million in 2020, or over 90% of all tax returns filed. The IRS anticipates the trend will continue for both individual and non-individual returns.

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

With the change, taxpayers located in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Ohio, and Washington state who previously filed their federal tax returns with Fresno should now mail their returns to the Ogden, Utah, processing center.

The Ogden address for filing paper individual returns is:

Department of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Ogden, UT 84201-0002

Fresno operations

The IRS plans to maintain a presence in Fresno with many other operations still working at full capacity, but the impending consolidation will enable the IRS to streamline operations and make better use of existing space.

When the consolidation was announced in September 2016, there were approximately 3,000 employees who worked at the paper processing center in Fresno. Since that time, the IRS said it has taken steps to provide training and find continued employment opportunities for many of the impacted employees. Others have chosen to retire or separate from the IRS.

The agency is also maintaining a Fresno submission processing consolidation update page on IRS.gov.