An IRS envelope is unsettling, but most notices are routine and resolvable. Here are the four we see most often, and what each one actually wants.
CP2000 flags a mismatch between income reported on your return and what employers or payers reported to the IRS — usually a missed 1099. CP14 is a balance-due notice after a return has been processed. CP501/CP503 are follow-up reminders on an existing balance. And a 5071C letter is an identity-verification request before the IRS will process a return at all.
In every case, the letter includes a response deadline, and missing it narrows your options. Do not call the number on a letter you cannot verify came from the IRS, and never send a payment by gift card or wire — that is not how the IRS collects money. Send us the notice and we will read it, explain what it is actually asking for, and respond on your behalf, usually within 48 hours.
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