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IRS notice decoder · Refunds held, reduced or applied

CP09: you may qualify for the Earned Income Credit

A CP09 says you may qualify for the Earned Income Credit but didn't claim it. Fill in the Form 15111 worksheet to see if you do.

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

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CheckedOct 19, 2026

What a CP09 means

A CP09 is good-news mail, maybe. The IRS says its records suggest you may be eligible for the Earned Income Credit but didn't claim it on your return. source 1

It comes with a worksheet, Form 15111. You fill it in to see whether you qualify. If you do, you sign it and mail it back, and the IRS reviews it. source 1

Nothing here says you owe anything. The question is only whether money is owed to you. It goes to people who may qualify for the Earned Income Credit but didn't claim it.

The date that counts

The IRS page doesn't print a mailing date for the worksheet; read your notice for any date it gives. If you upload online, the IRS gives a set number of days from the date of the notice. source 1

Why people get one

  • Your return showed earned income, but the Earned Income Credit line was blank or not claimed.
  • The IRS's records suggest you could meet the credit's rules, and it wants you to check.

First steps

  1. Check your IRS online account (typed in yourself at irs.gov) to see the notice and confirm it's real.
  2. Read the notice carefully, then complete Form 15111 using the version for the tax year on your notice. source 1
  3. Check the rules in Publication 596 as you go, especially on a qualifying child. source 1
  4. If the worksheet shows you qualify, sign and date it and mail it in the envelope that came with the notice. source 1
  5. If it shows you don't qualify, don't send it back. source 1
  6. Keep a copy of what you sent and the date you mailed it.

What not to do

  • Don't return Form 15111 if the worksheet shows you don't qualify. source 1
  • Don't file an amended return in place of the worksheet. The notice gives you the way to claim it.
  • Don't act on a link or phone number from an unexpected email or text that claims to be about this notice. Use irs.gov, typed in yourself.
  • Related CP27 The other Earned Income Credit eligibility notice, with its own worksheet.
  • Related CP75 A different letter: an audit that holds a claimed Earned Income Credit.

Keep reading

Questions

How long until the refund after I send Form 15111?

The IRS says that if you qualify and owe no tax or other debts it must collect, it sends the refund in a matter of weeks, and if it denies the credit it sends a letter explaining why. If nothing arrives after the time the page gives, call the number printed on your notice. source 1

How do I avoid this next year?

The IRS says to claim the credit if you're eligible, or to write EIC on the credit line and attach Schedule EIC so the IRS figures it for you. Write No there if you don't qualify or don't want it. source 1

Can I send the CP09 worksheet online?

The IRS says you can upload documents through its Documentation Upload Tool, using the access code on your notice, within a set number of days from the notice date. source 1

Sources

  1. IRS, Understanding your CP09 notice (updated July 21, 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.