IRS Letter: What to Do…If You Get a Letter from the IRS…

What You Need to Know if You Get a Letter in the Mail from the IRS

Each year, the IRS mails millions of notices and letters to taxpayers for a variety of reasons. If you receive one:

1. Be alert for tax scams. The IRS sends letters and notices by United States Postal Service First Class Mail (Trademark) and USPS Certified Mail (Trademark), in many cases in duplicate. An IRS agent doesn’t contact people by email or social media to ask for personal or financial information. An IRS agent could call you on your telephone, but will never ask for payment over the phone, nor do they demand you make payment immediately, nor do they demand a specific type of payment such as debit or credit card. If you owe tax, you have several payment options and you should ask for an extension of time, such as a month, to evaluate your options and talk to your advisors.

2. Don’t panic. You can usually deal with a notice simply by responding to it. Each notice has specific instructions, so read the notice carefully because it will tell you what you need to do.

3. If your notice says that the IRS changed or corrected your tax return, review the information and compare it with your original return. If you don’t agree with the notice, you need to respond. Write a letter that explains why you disagree, and include information and documents you want the IRS to consider. Mail your response with the contact stub at the bottom of the notice to the address on the contact stub.

4. For most notices, you may call the phone number in the upper right-hand corner of the notice. Be sure to have a copy of your tax return and the notice with you when you call. If you ever have a verbal communication with the IRS, be sure to use our IRS Contact form to allow you to record the information you need to document the call and record the agent’s ID number. Note: the call may be recorded and the IRS will make notes in their CRM system.

5. Always keep copies of any notices you receive with your tax records.

Call a tax attorney to help you…