Understanding Your IRS Notice Or Letter

Your notice or letter will explain the reason for the contact and give you instructions on how to handle the issue.

If, when you search for your notice or letter using the Search on the irs.gov page, if it doesn’t return a result, or you believe the notice or letter looks suspicious, contact the IRS at 800-829-1040. If you determine the notice or letter is fraudulent, please follow the IRS assistor’s guidance or visit their Report Phishing page for next steps.

Why Was I Notified By The IRS?

The IRS sends notices and letters for the following reasons:

You have a balance due.
You are due a larger or smaller refund.
They have a question about your tax return.
They need to verify your identity.
They need additional information.
They made changes to your return.
They need to notify you of delays in processing your return.

Next Steps

Read

Each notice or letter contains a lot of valuable information, so it’s very important that you read it carefully. If they changed your tax return, compare the information they provided in the notice or letter with the information in your original return.

Respond

If your notice or letter requires a response by a specific date, there are two main reasons you’ll want to comply:

to minimize additional interest and penalty charges.
to preserve your appeal rights if you don’t agree.

Pay

Pay as much as you can, even if you can’t pay the full amount you owe. You can pay online or apply for an Online Payment Agreement or Offer in Compromise. Visit the IRS payments page for more information.

Keep A Copy Of Your Notice Or Letter

It’s important to keep a copy of all notices or letters with your tax records. You may need these documents at a later date.

The IRS will provide you with their contact phone number on the top right-hand corner of the notice or letter. Typically, you only need to contact them if you don’t agree with the information, if they requested additional information, or if you have a balance due. You can also write to them at the address in the notice or letter. If you write, allow at least 30 days for them to respond.