IRS notice decoder
What does your IRS letter mean?
Type the code from the corner of your IRS letter. Each page says what the notice means, the date that counts, the first steps and what not to do, with the IRS page behind every rule.
76 notices and letters decoded so far.
We haven't decoded that one yet.
The IRS lists its notices and letters by number: Understanding your IRS notice or letter (external site). Check the code against the upper right corner of your letter, too: a letter O and a zero look alike.
Bills for a balance due
Collection: levy and lien notices
Proposed changes to a return
Notices of deficiency
Corrections the IRS made
Audits and reviews by mail
Identity and return verification
Refunds held, reduced or applied
Returns the IRS has not received
Payments and credits on your account
Business accounts and employer notices
Read any notice in three moves
- Read the tag. The code in the upper right corner says which letter you hold. Find it here, or on the IRS site.
- Circle the date. The date printed on the notice is the one that counts, not the day the envelope arrived.
- Confirm it is real. Sign in to your IRS online account, typed in yourself at irs.gov, and check that the balance or notice is there.
How the letters escalate
Two common paths. The code on your letter tells you which step you are on; each step links to its page.
When a balance stays unpaid
The usual order of the bills and collection notices. Not everyone gets every step, so the code on your letter is what tells you where you are.
When income on your return doesn't match the forms
The matching program's path, from a question about a form to a court deadline.
- CP2501A question about a mismatch
- CP2000A proposed change, not a bill
- CP3219ANotice of deficiency
- ↳Tax Court petition, by the date printed on the notice