Read what the record actually shows
An unsigned draft demonstrates preparation work; a copy labelled final may still leave submission uncertain. Look for the record appropriate to the question you need answered, and keep its source and date available. Do not infer the account’s filing status solely from what happens to be present or absent in your own folder.
Create a separate status column
For each year, list the return version held and the evidence available about its submission. Leave an unresolved entry open until appropriate information clarifies it. A notice may prompt a status check, but it should be read in its own terms rather than used as a broad conclusion about every document in the file.
Carry uncertainty into the next discussion
Explain which facts are confirmed and which still require review. Ask what official information or supporting record would answer the remaining question and how it should be obtained. Keep that retrieval task distinct from any preparation work later proposed. A clear status note prevents a payment or relief discussion from relying on an assumed filing fact that the evidence has not yet established.
Distinguish a Tax Return Copy from Filing Evidence
Keep the notice and available return information for the year being discussed.