IRS Letters and Identity Verification: Identify Your Notice and Take the Right Next Step

Step 1: Find the notice or letter number

Look for a number beginning with CP or a letter identifier such as LTR. The IRS says the identifier is usually on the right side of the correspondence. Examples include CP05, CP05A, CP05B, and 5071C.

Record the notice date, tax year, response deadline, reason given, and contact information. A notice date is not necessarily the day it reached your mailbox.

Search the number through the official IRS notice directory. Some notices are available in Online Account, but not every letter will appear there. Absence online alone does not prove a letter is fake.

Step 2: Match your notice to the right action

Similar-looking letters can require different actions. A document request is not the same as identity verification, and a general processing message does not replace a specific notice.

Start with CP05 vs. CP05A vs. CP05B or when the 60-day review clock starts.

Step 3: Complete the correct identity-verification process

The IRS may need to confirm both who you are and whether you filed a particular return. Creating an online sign-in account alone may not complete the separate tax-return verification.

The current IRS Verify Your Return service identifies the notices eligible to use it. Follow your exact letter and its current IRS page. Notice names and available methods can change; older “C” letter names may appear alongside newer CP-series names.

Before you begin

• Have the actual verification notice available.
• Have the original or amended Form 1040-series return named in the notice if you filed it.
• Gather a prior return if requested and available, plus supporting W-2s, 1099s, and schedules.
• For an appointment, follow the letter’s identification-document requirements.

If you cannot complete online verification, follow the alternative instructions for that notice. Use its verification number or appointment process rather than assuming a general refund phone call completes verification.

After successful verification

The IRS verification service says processing may take up to nine weeks after verification in covered situations. It advises waiting two to three weeks before checking refund status through that service’s guidance. These are not guaranteed deposit dates, and another account issue may remain.

Keep any confirmation and note the completion date. If you are unsure whether you finished, ask whether both identity and return verification were completed.

What if the notice is about a return you never filed?

Do not confirm that an unauthorized return is yours. Follow the notice’s instructions for reporting that you did not file it.

Form 14039 is not the answer to every verification letter. The IRS CP05 instructions direct an affected person who did not file the return to complete and mail the identity-theft affidavit as specified. By contrast, the verification service tells users they generally do not need Form 14039 after verifying through that process unless instructed.

Use the instructions for your particular notice. See IRS reviewing a return you never filed. Consider an IRS Identity Protection PIN for future protection; it does not replace the current response.

Step 4: Gather the evidence the notice actually requests

Read the request line by line. Make a checklist matching each requested fact to a document. A document used to prepare a return is not necessarily sufficient to answer a verification request.

CP05A: a W-2 may not answer the request

The IRS’s CP05A page asks for supporting details such as wage dates, gross income, and federal withholding. Its listed examples include pay statements, an employer letter, and retirement-benefit evidence, as applicable. It specifically says not to send a W-2 as the requested supporting documentation.

Follow your notice and current IRS instructions, include a copy of the notice, and use an authorized submission method. See why a CP05A response may need more than a W-2.

CP05B: respond instead of treating it as a waiting notice

The IRS explains that requested evidence is needed to determine whether reported income is correct. Failure to respond can result in disallowance of all or part of the refund or a notice that tax is owed. Follow the response date and voucher instructions.

If you cannot obtain a requested record

Contact the employer, payer, or other source promptly. If a deadline is approaching, contact the IRS through the notice’s verified channel and ask how to proceed. Do not assume an extension was granted, invent documents, or substitute an unrelated form.

Step 5: Organize and submit your response

1. Check the identifier and tax year. Make sure the response addresses the correct case.
2. Write a brief explanation if appropriate. State what request or disputed change you are addressing.
3. Include the required notice copy or voucher. Follow the specific notice rather than a universal mailing template.
4. Attach requested copies. Use legible pages and send originals only if specifically required.
5. Use the authorized route. A notice may permit upload, fax, mail, phone, or an appointment. Options differ.
6. Keep proof. Save the response, attachments, upload receipt, fax confirmation, or mailing record and note the date.

The IRS Document Upload Tool is available for supported notice responses; it is not a universal way to send anything to the IRS. Verify the official page and the notice’s instructions before uploading sensitive information.

If you disagree with a change

Compare the notice with the filed return and supporting records. Follow its disagreement instructions and deadline. Some notices carry specific administrative or court deadlines; a general call or document upload may not preserve those rights. Seek qualified help promptly if the notice discusses a petition, appeal, lien, or levy.

Verify the communication before sharing personal information

Start at IRS.gov to look up the notice number and compare the instructions. If the communication looks suspicious or cannot be verified, contact the IRS through a number independently obtained from IRS.gov.

Do not rely solely on caller ID, an urgent text, or a logo. Avoid sending identification or payment information through unsolicited messages. A genuine notice can request sensitive information, so the important step is verifying the request and submission channel.

An account transcript or Code 971 does not identify every detail of a letter. Read the description and actual correspondence; do not ignore a deadline because a transcript changed.

When and where to get help

Use the verified number on your notice for that issue. General individual IRS assistance is available at 800-829-1040. Prepare the notice, relevant return, questions, and response history before calling.

Ask: “What specific action remains, what evidence is needed, and what follow-up timeframe applies?” See the RefundTalk IRS phone directory.

A qualified tax professional can help interpret a complicated notice. An eligible taxpayer may seek assistance from a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic for a tax dispute. The Taxpayer Advocate Service evaluates certain hardship or unresolved IRS cases under its current eligibility and intake rules; assistance is not guaranteed.

Your IRS notice response worksheet

IRS letters and identity verification FAQs

Notice-specific RefundTalk guides

• CP05 vs. CP05A vs. CP05B
• CP05A: why your W-2 is not enough
• When the 60-day review clock starts
• A return you never filed
• IRS phone directory