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IRS notice decoder · Refunds held, reduced or applied

CP05: the IRS is reviewing your return and holding the refund

A CP05 says the IRS needs more time to verify income, withholding or credits on your return. If you filed, there's usually nothing to do yet.

By the Carry Forward Learning team Reviewed by Hunter Nottingham, JD, CPA

No dated figures Checked Review by

CheckedOct 19, 2026

What a CP05 means

A CP05 is a pause, not a bill. The IRS says it needs more time to verify income, income tax withholding, tax credits or business income on your return. source 1

The IRS says some returns are selected to check that income, expenses and credits are right, and being selected doesn't mean you made an error or were dishonest. source 1

If you filed the return, we'd file this notice and wait. If you didn't, that's a different and more urgent story.

The date that counts

If you filed, the IRS says no action is needed and to wait a set number of days from the notice date before calling, and only if you still have no refund or word from it. source 1

Why people get one

  • The IRS wants to match your income, withholding or credits against what employers and payers reported.
  • The return was picked for a routine check before the refund goes out.
  • Someone used your information to file a return you never filed.

First steps

  1. Confirm you filed a return for the year on the notice.
  2. If you did, wait. The IRS says no action is needed for now. source 1
  3. Track your refund online or in the IRS app, reached by typing irs.gov in yourself. source 1
  4. If you didn't file, complete Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, on paper, sign it and mail it to the address at the top of the notice. source 1
  5. Keep the notice with your return for that year.

What not to do

  • Don't call before the waiting period the IRS gives has passed. source 1
  • Don't file the same return again or amend it just because of this notice.
  • Don't follow a link in an unexpected email or text about your refund. Use irs.gov, typed in yourself.
  • Related LTR 12C A letter that asks you to send specific missing information.
  • Related 4800C A letter that proposes a change to the return.

Keep reading

Questions

Why is my return being reviewed with a CP05?

The IRS selects some returns to check that income, expenses and credits are reported correctly. It says selection doesn't mean you made an error or were dishonest. source 1

Do I need to do anything about a CP05?

If you filed, the IRS says no. Wait the period it gives before calling, and only if you still have no refund or word from it. source 1

I got a CP05 but didn't file. What now?

The IRS says someone may have used your information. Complete Form 14039 on paper, sign it and mail it to the address at the top of your notice. source 1

Sources

  1. IRS, Understanding your CP05 notice (updated September 25, 2026) (external site) checked Oct 19, 2026

Every rule on this page comes from the IRS page in the list, read on the date shown. Your notice itself is the final word on its own dates and amounts.