Did you notice that the title states “when” and not “if” you receive a notice? The volume of notices received from the IRS, along with those from the states, has steadily increased over the years, which means that the odds of you receiving a notice are pretty high. What are some of the steps you should take?
Don’t ignore the notice: This may sound basic, but do not ignore the notice. Usually, there is a deadline for your response, and if you do not respond then the issue may get worse and more complicated. If you do not understand the notice or have an accountant, then quickly send the notice to him/her.
Make sure it belongs to you: Sometimes, the notice may not even be yours. Sometimes the IRS or the states have an old address on file, which happens to now be yours. If the notice does not belong to you then ask the post office to return to sender. That is an easy fix, but not as common as one could hope for.
Time period and type of tax: The notice should show what periods and type of tax the notice relates to. Common notices are for Form 1040 (individual taxes), Form 941 (payroll taxes), and various states’ sales and payroll taxes.
What is the notice asking for: A commonly received notice from New Jersey and New York is one requesting additional information to process a refund after filing your tax return. You should provide the information requested and send a cover letter via certified mail. Other common notices state that there was additional income that was not reported, such as stock sales or pension income, and now there is a proposed change to your tax return. The scariest notices are levy notices or lien notices, which are supposed to come after no action has been taken on previous notices.
Compare the notice to your records: In many cases you want to verify the validity of the notice and should compare the information in the notice to your own records. It is possible that the notice may be incorrect or only partly correct.
Always respond timely: Make sure to always adhere to the timeline of the notice and to send any correspondence by certified mail as timely proof of a response. Even though you may respond timely this does not mean that the IRS or states will respond timely to you, and you may have to be patient.
As a warning, the IRS will never email you nor will they ask you to purchase prepaid gift cards from CVS to provide to them. Also, they will not threaten to deport you or throw you in jail. If you did something criminal then they will just show up at your house at 6 AM or possibly 5 AM, and I am sure that you already know why they are there.
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