Many taxpayers are receiving a letter from the IRS that starts something like this….
“Dear TAXPAYER, We received your Form 1040, federal individual income tax return, for the tax year listed above, but need more information to process the return.”
This is known as a “5071C” letter. You will see LTR 5071C in the upper right corner of the letter.
If you receive such a letter and have already filed your tax return, the IRS is attempting to verify your identity before they will process the return. If you have not yet filed your return, then it is possible that someone has tried to file a tax return using your Social Security number. Either way, you need to call us or use the special website and/or call the toll-free IRS telephone number in the letter immediately. If you elect to call yourself, after waiting forever on the phone and answering a few identifying questions, the IRS will instruct you on how to proceed.
If someone has fraudulently tried to file your return, most likely you will not be allowed to file electronically but instead will have to file your return by either mailing it to a special address or faxing it to a special fax number. There is a good chance that the IRS will continue to monitor your account for several years in the future so you may receive a similar 5071C letter next year even if you are the one actually filing the return. Isn’t the age of cyberattacks and identity theft fun????