IRS notice CP21B
CP21B notice: the change you asked for, and a refund
A CP21B means the IRS made the changes you requested to your tax return for the year on the notice, and you are due a refund. The IRS says it should arrive within two to three weeks of the notice.
What to do
If you agree with the changes, there is nothing to send. Correct the copy of the return you kept for your records.
If you disagree with the changes, contact the IRS at the number in the “What you need to know” section of the notice. If you need to make a further correction to the return, use Form 1040-X.
Interest on the refund is taxable
If the IRS paid you interest with the refund, report it on your tax return for the year you received it. If the interest is $10 or more, the IRS sends you a Form 1099-INT for it by January 31 of the next year.
If the refund does not arrive, or you did not ask for a change
If three weeks have passed and you do not owe other taxes or debts the IRS is required to collect, such as child support, call the number in the “What you need to know” section.
If you do not remember asking the IRS to change your return, call the same number to find out what it received. If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, tell them, and see the IRS’s Identity Theft Central. If repeated calls get you nowhere, the Taxpayer Advocate Service is at 877-777-4778.
Want a second pair of eyes on it?
USTAXX can check the notice against the return it refers to. Where the answer is a return — an amended return, a missing year, a corrected form — we prepare it, and you sign and send your own reply. We are an IRS Authorized e-file provider and work with clients remotely through a secure portal, by phone or video, and in person at our office in Naperville, IL.
Questions people ask
How long after a CP21B will I get my refund?
The IRS says within two to three weeks of the notice, unless you owe other taxes or debts it is required to collect.
Do I have to report the interest on my refund?
Yes. Interest the IRS pays you is income for the year you receive it, and if it is $10 or more you will get a Form 1099-INT by January 31 of the next year.
What if I never asked the IRS to change my return?
Call the number on the notice to find out what the IRS received. If it looks like someone else filed in your name, ask about identity theft.
Where these rules come from
General information, current when written, not advice about your situation. Fees and forms change; the official pages above are the authority.