Here's what you need to know if you received a 5071C letter (2024)

FAQs

Here's what you need to know if you received a 5071C letter? ›

Why you received IRS Letter 5071C. The IRS fraud detection system flagged your tax return as a potential identity theft case. The IRS sends this notice to request that you provide documentation to prove your identity.

The IRS sends a 5071C letter when it receives a tax return with your name and tax identification number, but believes the return to be fraudulent. A Letter 5071C will ask you to complete an online identity verification process to confirm your identity.

This letter is to notify you that the agency received a tax return with your name and Social Security number that it believes may not be yours. The letter asks you to take specific steps to verify your identity and confirm whether or not the return is actually yours.

It may take up to 9 weeks to receive your refund or credit any overpayment to your account. However, if we find other problems, we'll contact you again and this may delay your refund. You may check the status of your tax refund using Where's My Refund? or the IRS2Go mobile app after 2 to 3 weeks.

What happens if you don't verify identity or verify or respond to the IRS? If you fail to respond to Form 5071C, the IRS will not be able to process your tax return. The sole purpose of the 5071C letter is to verify the identity of the taxpayer before processing the returns.

When the IRS is questioning whether a return is legitimate, it will send taxpayers a letter asking them to authenticate their identity, and it will not process their return and issue their refund until the taxpayer responds to the letter and completes the authentication process.

More In Help. The IRS proactively identifies and stops the processing of potential identity theft returns. You may receive a notice or letter asking you to verify your identity and tax return information with the IRS. This helps prevent an identity thief from getting your refund.

Social Security numbers and birth dates for those who were named on the tax return. An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number letter if the you have one. Your filing status. The prior-year tax return.

IRS code 571 or 572 with the same date as code 971 indicates the tax return is processed and the tax refund should be received within 3-6 weeks.

The 5071C letter means that the IRS has received your return, but needs more information from you to verify your identity. You can do either of the following: Go to Identity Verification Service and follow the online instructions. Call the IRS toll-free on 800-830-5084 for Identity Verification.

How do I know if my tax return has been flagged? ›

But generally if your tax return is flagged, you would get some sort of notifications or you can always go to the portal to check the status of your submission. Normally, an internal flagging for further investigation can't be made known to you until the tax guys are certain they need further information from you.

If the IRS is reviewing your return, the review process could take anywhere from 45 to 180 days, depending on the number and types of issues the IRS is reviewing.

(updated October 31, 2023) A: To verify your identity with ID.me, you'll need to provide a photo of an identity document such as a driver's license, state ID or passport. You'll also need to take a selfie or choose to video chat with a live ID.me agent.

When a thief steals someone's Social Security number, they can use it to file a fraudulent tax return. This is tax-related identity theft. The IRS scans tax returns for possible fraud. If a tax return is flagged as suspicious, the agency will pull it for more review.

Verification of non-filing letter - states that the IRS has no record of a processed Form 1040-series tax return as of the date of the request. It doesn't indicate whether you are required to file a return for that year.