Understanding your mail
IRS notices
The number in the corner of the letter tells you exactly where you are in the collection process. Most people never learn to read it. Here's the translation.
The basics
Read the corner first
IRS notices arrive in a sequence, and each one carries different consequences and different deadlines. The code is printed in the upper right corner.
CP14 — the first bill. A balance is due. Real, but early in the process.
CP501 / CP503 — reminders. The tone escalates; the legal position hasn’t changed much yet.
CP504 — Notice of Intent to Levy. This one is serious. It permits levying state tax refunds and signals that broader levy action is coming.
CP90 — a final notice carrying the same 30-day hearing right described below.
CP2000 — not a bill. A proposed change because reported income doesn’t match your return. Frequently wrong, and it has its own response deadline.
Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing. It starts a 30-day window to request a Collection Due Process hearing, which pauses collection while it’s pending. Miss the 30 days and you lose the strongest protection available to you.
What helps
What matters here
These are the details that actually determine what happens next — not the tone of the letter.
The date, not the tone
Every notice has a response window. The deadline determines your options far more than how threatening the letter sounds.
Which notice it is
A CP14 and an LT11 describe similar amounts but sit in completely different places in the process.
Where it was sent
Notices go to your last known address. If you've moved, you may be deep in the sequence without having seen a single letter.
Our approach
How we handle it
Four steps, starting with the letter itself.
Identify and date it
Which notice, what deadline, how much time actually remains.
Verify against transcripts
Notices are sometimes wrong. Transcripts settle what's real.
Respond before the deadline
Including requesting a hearing where that right exists and it serves you.
Address the underlying balance
Answering the letter buys time; a resolution is what ends the sequence.
Notices are sometimes wrong, and responding to an incorrect balance can lock in a number that isn't real. We check the notice against your transcripts before we respond to it, not after.
Before you call
Who this isn't for
An audit notice, a Notice of Deficiency (90-day letter), or anything from IRS Criminal Investigation needs different expertise and, in some cases, a tax attorney. Call us and we'll point you in the right direction even if it isn't toward us.
Common questions
IRS notices questions
I got a notice but I already paid. What now?
Payments and notices cross in the mail routinely. Transcripts show whether the payment posted and where it was applied — sometimes to a different year than intended.
Can I ignore a notice if I can't pay?
Not safely. Ignoring notices moves you through the sequence toward levy. Responding without money is still far better than not responding — options exist for people who genuinely can't pay.
How much time do I have?
It depends on the notice. Some carry 30 days, some 21, some 90. The letter states it, and the date on the letter is when the clock started, not the day you opened it.
Is a CP2000 a bill?
No. It's a proposal, and it's often incorrect. You have the right to disagree with documentation.
Free consultation
Let's find out what your notice means
Tell us the notice code if you have it and a tax professional will review it and call you back. There's no cost for the review and no obligation to hire us afterward.
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Takes about two minutes.
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A tax professional will review your details and call you within one business day.