What to do When You Receive a Letter from the IRS
Notices from the IRS don’t always contain bad news. In fact, many IRS letters notify taxpayers that they will be receiving larger refunds, or are merely requests for additional information. It is also true, however, that the IRS does send notices to taxpayers who owe a tax debt, or who have failed to submit a tax return. In these cases, a prompt response is important to ensuring that future negotiations with the agency go as smoothly as possible, so if you recently received a notice from the IRS and have questions about what to do next, you should consider speaking with experienced Florida tax & IRS attorney Ronald Cutler as soon as possible about your legal rights and obligations.
Why Was I Notified by the IRS?
The IRS sends letters and notices to taxpayers for a variety of reasons, including when:
- A taxpayer owes an overdue tax liability;
- A taxpayer is owed a larger or smaller refund;
- The IRS needs to notify a taxpayer about delays in the processing of a return;
- The IRS has questions about a taxpayer’s return;
- The IRS needs to verify a taxpayer’s identity;
- The IRS needs additional information from a taxpayer; or
- The IRS made changes to a person’s tax return.
What a taxpayer should do after receiving a notice from the IRS depends in large part on the contents of the notice in question, so if you recently received a notice from the IRS, it is important to seek assistance from an experienced tax lawyer who can advise you.
Reading and Responding to Your Notice
IRS notices contain a lot of valuable information, including whether or not a taxpayer is required to take further steps, so it is critical for taxpayers to read these notices carefully. For instance, if taxpayers receive letters from the IRS notifying them that their tax returns have been modified, they will most likely be asked to compare the information in the notice with the information on the original return. In other cases, a notice will require a response by a certain date. It is important to comply with these deadlines, as failing to do so can lead to the assessment of additional interest and penalty charges and can also endanger a taxpayer’s rights to appeal.
Taxpayers may also send notices asking taxpayers to pay off outstanding debt. Fortunately, even if a taxpayer cannot pay the full amount all at once, he or she could be eligible for an offer in compromise, structured payments, or an online payment agreement. Finally, taxpayers should keep copies of all notices and letters sent by the IRS, as they may be needed at a later date.
Get Legal Help Today
To speak with an experienced Florida tax & IRS attorney about a notice or letter that you recently received from the IRS, please call Ronald Cutler, P.A. at 386-490-9949 today. We know you lead busy lives and so make ourselves available to you seven days a week, offering weekend appointments to those who cannot meet during the week.
Resource:
irs.gov/appeals/letters-and-notices-offering-an-appeal-opportunity
https://www.hotlineforhelp.com/what-you-should-know-about-irs-audits/
