There is a particular feeling that comes with seeing Internal Revenue Service on an envelope, and it is usually worse than whatever is inside. A lot of people search for what it might be before they open it. This is written for that moment.
Two things are true at once: most IRS letters are routine, and the letter still needs opening today.
First, is it actually from the IRS?
Worth checking, because impersonation is common and the fake ones are designed to frighten you into paying quickly. The IRS is unusually clear about how it does and does not make contact.
On its own guidance the IRS says: “We normally contact you the first time by mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.” Mail first is the norm, not the exception.
It also says it emails only when you have opted in, and sends text messages only when you have opted in. On social media it is blunter: “A social media direct message is never from us.”
So a letter in the post is the expected way for this to begin. An out of the blue text, DM or email is not.
The IRS also lists demanding payment immediately as a warning sign that contact is a scam. A real notice gives you a deadline and options. It does not insist you pay in the next ten minutes.
One more, because it worries people: the IRS says “Unannounced visits are rare. We generally send a letter before we visit.” Somebody turning up with no warning and no letter having arrived first is a reason for suspicion.
What the envelope tells you, and what it does not
Less than you would hope.
The city in the return address is where it was processed, not what it is about. People search for the city they see on the envelope trying to work out what is coming. It is not a useful signal. The same city handles many different kinds of correspondence, and the thing that identifies your letter is printed inside it.
The class of postage tells you nothing either. Ordinary notices arrive by ordinary post. A few specific types are sent by certified mail, but the absence of certification is not reassurance and its presence is not a disaster.
There is no way to work out what is inside without opening it, and every extra day costs you options.
Open it, then find the number on the right
Every notice carries a number that identifies exactly which letter it is. The IRS puts it in a predictable place: “You can find the CP or LTR number on the right corner of the letter.”
That number is the single most useful thing on the page. It tells you, and tells us, what the letter is, what it is asking for, and what your options are. Find it before you read anything else.
We have written separately about where to find the notice number and what the prefixes mean.
Why the IRS usually writes
The IRS’s own list of reasons for sending correspondence is shorter and calmer than most people expect:
- You have a balance due
- Your refund has changed
- They have a question about your return
- They need to verify your identity
- They changed or corrected your return
- Processing your return is delayed
Notice that two of those are about your refund and one is a straightforward question. Not every envelope is a bill.
What to do next, in order
- Find the deadline. It is printed on the letter. Almost every option you have shrinks once it passes.
- Do not pay it just because it asks. A notice states what the IRS currently believes. That is not always the same as what is correct, and paying is not the same as agreeing.
- Do not ignore it. A letter that could have been answered with one document becomes a bill that is much harder to unwind.
- Keep the envelope. The postmark occasionally matters.
If the letter does not appear when you look up its number, or if anything about it looks wrong, the IRS asks you to call 800-829-1040 rather than act on it.
When it is worth getting help
Plenty of notices are answerable in an afternoon with one document. Some are not, and the ones worth handing over are the ones proposing a change to your return, questioning your identity, or arriving after you have already replied once.
Bring the letter, unopened envelope included, before you respond. It is easier to answer a notice properly the first time than to reopen one that has been answered badly.