A tax letter can be unsettling, especially when it concerns a return you thought was finished. Start by reading it carefully, identifying the tax year and finding any response deadline. Do not ignore it, but do not assume that every letter means you owe more tax.
The IRS sends notices for several reasons, including a changed refund, questions about a return, identity verification and processing delays. What you should do depends on the specific notice. General information only; individual facts and current law control. This article is not individualized tax or legal advice.
Read the complete letter and protect the deadline
Keep every page, including instructions, response forms and attachments. Save the envelope too. If you scan the letter, check that the backs of pages and any small print are readable. A photograph of the first page alone may leave out the instructions needed to understand it.
Look for the issuing agency, notice number, tax year, date and response deadline. IRS letters generally have a CP or LTR number near the right corner. Compare the name and year with your records, and note whether the agency wants information, payment, identity verification or another action.
Do not assume every notice uses the same deadline. The IRS notice guide says to act by the due date when a response is requested. Contact your preparer promptly, rather than waiting until that date. Uploading a letter to the firm does not itself satisfy an agency deadline.
Verify the sender before sharing information
The IRS normally makes its first contact by U.S. mail. That does not make every mailed letter genuine, and a threatening phone call is not proof that the caller works for the IRS. Unexpected pressure to pay immediately or provide financial information deserves caution.
Type IRS.gov into your browser and search for the notice number. Use the agency's contact guidance, rather than a link supplied by an unfamiliar caller. If a letter looks suspicious or cannot be found in the IRS notice search, the IRS notice guide directs taxpayers to call 800-829-1040. Verify the contact before sending money or personal information.
Compare the letter with your records
Gather the filed return for the year shown, supporting tax forms, corrected forms and relevant payment confirmations. Keep earlier correspondence with the same matter. Explain any payments already made, including their dates and the tax years to which they were applied.
A letter may reflect a question rather than a final conclusion. For example, a CP2000 notice proposes changes based on differences between your return and information reported to the IRS. It is not a bill or an audit. Check the details before deciding whether the proposal is correct.
For other IRS notices, the response depends on what the letter requests and whether you agree. Some require no reply when you agree; others require action. Follow the particular notice rather than treating a general checklist as a substitute for its instructions.
Treat state and DC letters separately
For a letter from the Comptroller of Maryland, DC Office of Tax and Revenue or Virginia Tax, use that agency's official website to verify contact information. Keep its correspondence separate from the federal notice, even if both concern the same year.
Do not assume that federal response instructions or deadlines apply to a state or DC letter. This article does not describe those agencies' individual procedures. Share the full letter so its own instructions and deadline can be checked.
Share documents through Canopy
Use our Canopy client portal for notices, returns and supporting records. Never send tax documents through ordinary email or the website contact form. If you need portal access, contact the office without including sensitive information in your inquiry.
Our tax appointment checklist can help you organize supporting records. Keep copies of anything submitted to the agency and confirmation of the submission. When you are ready to send the letter to our team, see what to send for an IRS or state letter.
Frequently asked questions
Should I pay immediately?
Not simply because a letter arrived. Verify it, read what it requests and distinguish a payment demand from a proposed change. A genuine amount due should not be ignored; check its payment deadline promptly.
Can Kalish help with a letter about another preparer's return?
We generally respond to letters only for returns we prepared. Contact the office before assuming we can accept a matter involving another preparer's return.
Contact the firm about your letter
Kalish & Associates, P.A. is a Maryland family CPA firm serving clients nationwide, based in Owings Mills. We serve all of Maryland, DC and Virginia, plus other states. Our work here is limited to responding to IRS and state letters. Read about our letter-response services, then contact our office to discuss your letter and upload all pages securely through Canopy.
General information only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Contact the team about your own situation.
Related resources: IRS and state letter help · What a CP2000 notice means · What to send the team · Client Portal.