What to Do When You Get an IRS Notice or Letter

Knowing what to do when you get an IRS notice or letter is mostly a matter of staying calm and working in order. Most notices are routine: a balance due, a changed refund, a question about your return or a request to verify your identity. The notice almost always carries a response date, and that date, not the envelope's tone, decides how much room you have. This guide walks through reading the notice, checking it against your own records and answering in a way that protects your appeal rights.

What does an IRS notice or letter mean?

The IRS says it sends a notice or letter when you have a balance due, your refund changed, it has a question about your return, it needs to verify your identity, it changed or corrected your return, or processing of your return is delayed.

Look for the CP or LTR number in the right-hand corner of the first page. You can search that number or topic on irs.gov under notices and letters to see what the IRS says about it. If the letter does not appear in that search, or looks suspicious, treat it as unverified and read our scam alert guide before you respond.

What to do when you get an IRS notice, step by step

1. Do not ignore it and do not panic. Open it the day it arrives and write the date received on the envelope.
2. Identify the notice. Record the notice number, the tax year, the date on the notice, the amount (if any) and the response date.
3. Confirm it is genuine. The IRS normally contacts you first by mail; it emails or texts only if you opted in, and a social media direct message is never from the IRS.
4. Compare it to your return. Pull your filed return, your wage and income documents and your IRS account details. If the IRS changed your return, note the corrections on your own copy.
5. Decide whether you agree. If you agree, take any action the notice requests. If you disagree, follow the notice's dispute instructions and attach copies of supporting documents, never originals.
6. Pay or arrange to pay. If you owe, pay by the due date even if you cannot pay everything; that reduces interest and penalty charges. For the balance, review a payment plan or offer.
7. Send your reply in a trackable way. Use the upload tool, fax number or address printed on the notice, and keep proof of delivery.
8. Keep a file. Save the notice, your reply, proof of sending and every later letter. Write down the date and name of anyone you speak with.

Which deadlines apply to an IRS notice?

The response date printed on your notice always controls. The clocks below come from IRS publications and show why you should never wait.

A notice of deficiency is different from a CP2000: the IRS cannot extend the Tax Court filing period, and the Tax Court cannot hear a late petition. Calendar the last day the notice lists and file early.

Documents to gather before you answer

• The full notice, every page, plus the envelope if the postmark matters
• Your filed return and any amended return for the year in question
• Forms W-2, 1099, 1098, K-1 and foreign income statements that relate to the item
• Bank and brokerage statements, receipts and contracts that prove deductions or basis
• Prior notices and proof of payments
• Your IRS online account balance and transcripts, which show what the IRS has on record
• A record of any address change, since the IRS generally mails to the last address it has

How living abroad or in two countries changes things

Mail takes longer, and the IRS generally uses the last address it has on file, so a notice can reach an old address before you see it. If you live outside the United States, update your address with the IRS (Form 8822 is the change of address form) and consider naming a representative who can receive IRS correspondence. Longer periods exist only where the IRS publishes them, as with the CP2000 reply window and the Tax Court petition for a notice of deficiency; nothing else is automatically extended.

Illinois notices run on their own clocks. The Illinois Department of Revenue says a protest or request for a hearing generally must be filed within 60 days of the date of a notice that gives protest rights, and it warns that you cannot protest a notice that does not offer that right; you answer that kind of notice directly with corrected information.

A worked example

Raj and Anita in Batavia receive a balance-due notice dated October 5, 2026 for tax year 2025: $1,500 plus interest. They e-filed claiming $6,000 of estimated payments, but their IRS account shows only $4,500 applied. Following the steps above, they note the response date, check their bank records, find that the final $1,500 payment was credited to tax year 2024, and send a short signed explanation with the bank confirmation using the notice's upload option. The numbers are hypothetical; the process is the point.

Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for a second notice. Some deadlines, such as the Tax Court petition period, never restart.
• Sending originals. Send copies and keep the originals.
• Paying a scammer. The IRS never asks for gift cards, and gift card demands are a known scam sign.
• Answering by phone only. A written reply with documents protects your rights better than a call alone.

How we can help

Our firm handles IRS and Illinois notices directly from our Aurora, Illinois area base: we read the notice, build the response, file the authorization and deal with the agency on your behalf. For a Canadian or Indian notice that arrives at the same time, we coordinate with your Canadian CPA or Indian Chartered Accountant so the three filings tell the same story. We cannot promise any outcome. See IRS and state tax representation, foreign account and asset reporting and cross-border tax. The notices hub lists every guide, and the printable checklist condenses the steps.

Frequently asked questions

General information only. It is not tax, legal, accounting or immigration advice for your situation, and rules change; confirm the current rules with the official source or a licensed professional in the relevant country.