Anything to do but wait? (Form 4)

[Ryanxia]

So up until now all my NFA items have been form 1 e-files. So handy.
Today, the ATF cashed my check for my form 4 for a suppressor.

With a form 1 they email you a PDF of your tax stamp. I assume they only mail you a paper copy for the form 4? There's no way to check the status right? (Aside from calling them which I've heard it's the same people that answer the status questions that do the approvals so it just slows everything down).

I get a lot of junk mail, hopefully I will notice when it just shows up one day. It's also hard to tell how long it will take since there's a huge rush right now to get NFA items in before the July rule change on Trusts. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a year or more. Even the local Class 3 dealer where I had my suppressor sent to said instead of his usual 2 or 3 a week he's been doing 4 or 5 form 4's a day and they aren't a big operation or the only game in town.

So what do you guys do? Just keep a keen eye on the mail?

 

[pjeski]

First, the form 4 will be mailed to the transferor, not you, so you don't have to worry about missing it in the mail.

You will only get a paper form 4 with a physical stamp. It will be one of the two you sent in.

ATF has people to answer the phones, not the examiners, so it doesn't distract them and slow anything down. Whether or not they will tell you anything changes from time to time. In the past, they have been polite and helpful. The last time I called, last spring, there was a recording that said don't bother them if it has been less than six months. Haven't called since, so I don't know what they are doing these days.

My last form 4 was 20 weeks and a day from mailing to stamp in hand. That arrived just last week.

 

[Ryanxia]

Oh it's sent to dealer. Sweet.

Yeah I know current ones are coming back after not too long but my guess is anything filed in the last month or two and going forward are going to take quite awhile since the announcement of the final date for 41P/41F.

 

[Theohazard]

Once in a while we've had the ATF mistakenly send an approved Form 4 to the customer instead of us, but it's pretty rare. So you should still check your mail instead of throwing everything out, but mostly likely it will go to your dealer.

 

[pjeski]

Wait, aren't they sent in window envelopes?

 

[Theohazard]

I don't think so, but I'm not the one who opens them and calls the customers, so I can't remember off the top of my head. I just know that once in a while they get sent to the customer instead of us.

 

[Elkins45]

I have an older Form 1 I submitted on paper. It came in a window envelope with my handwriting on one of my original submitted forms with a stamp attached.

I've only done two Form 4s and they both went to the dealer.

 

[bikemutt]

I've not seen a form 4-based tax stamp come to me, always to FFL.

 

[dogtown tom]

Theohazard Once in a while we've had the ATF mistakenly send an approved Form 4 to the customer instead of us, but it's pretty rare.

That's happened twice in the last month. Transferee got the letter instead of me.

This happens when the person folding the Form 4 gets sloppy and folds it so the transferees address is showing.9instead of the transferor)