IRS notice CP5071
CP5071 and Letter 5071C: verify your identity and your return
A CP5071 series notice, which includes CP5071, Letter 5071C and CP5071F, means a Form 1040 return was filed under your Social Security number or ITIN, and the IRS needs you to confirm who you are and whether the return is yours before it does anything with it.
Whether you filed or not, verify
If you filed the return, verifying lets the IRS continue processing it. If you did not, you still verify: that is how you tell the IRS someone may have filed in your name.
Follow the instructions on your notice. If it offers online verification, you can start at irs.gov/verifyreturn, where you sign in to or create an IRS account and answer some questions. The IRS says to use that service only if you received a CP5071 series notice or Letter 5447C. Anyone under 18 has to contact the IRS instead.
What to have ready
The phone number and contact details on the notice are for identity and return verification only. Refund status and other account questions are not available through them.
- The notice.
- The tax return for the year on the notice, original or amended. If you do not have it, check your tax software or ask your preparer.
- A prior-year return, if you filed one and have it.
- Supporting documents for each return, such as Forms W-2 and 1099 and Schedules C and F.
After you verify
If you verify your return, you do not need to file Form 14039, the identity theft affidavit, unless the IRS tells you to. Wait two to three weeks before checking your refund status; the IRS says it can take up to nine weeks to process the return after you verify.
To keep it from happening again, get an Identity Protection PIN, which stops anyone else from filing a return with your Social Security number or ITIN.
Something wrong with the return itself?
Only you can verify your identity with the IRS, online or by phone. If the return it is holding has a problem, or someone else filed in your name and your own return still needs to go in, USTAXX prepares it. 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
Is Letter 5071C the same as CP5071?
Yes, both are part of the IRS’s CP5071 series, along with CP5071F. They all ask you to verify your identity and the return filed under your number.
Can I verify my identity online?
If your notice offers online verification, yes, at irs.gov/verifyreturn. Otherwise, follow the instructions on the notice.
Do I need to file Form 14039?
Not if you verify your return, unless the IRS tells you to. Verifying is how you report a return you did not file.
How long until my refund after verifying?
Wait two to three weeks before checking. The IRS says processing can take up to nine weeks after you verify.
Where these rules come from
- IRS: Understanding your CP5071 series notice
- IRS: Verify your return
- IRS: Get an Identity Protection PIN
General information, current when written, not advice about your situation. Fees and forms change; the official pages above are the authority.