A letter came from the IRS
An IRS notice is a clock, not a verdict.
Most IRS letters are routine— a balance, a reminder, a math fix. Several are simply wrong, and you’re allowed to say so. The few that are genuinely dangerous are dangerous because of a deadline you can still act inside. The letter has a code in the top or bottom corner. Read the code, find the deadline, match it to the right move — and don’t do it alone if you don’t want to.
Three things to do before you panic
Don’t ignore it, don’t assume it’s right, and don’t miss the date. Find the notice code (like CP14 or LT11). Find the deadline. Then check the letter against your free IRS account transcript— the official record of what you owe — because notices can be mailed in error, cross in the mail with a payment, or be faked by a scammer. The transcript is the ground truth.
IRS — Understanding your notice or letter irs.gov · Get transcript irs.gov
CP14 — “You owe a balance.”
What it means
This is the first bill. The IRS is telling you a balance is due on a return you filed. It’s a normal letter — not a levy, not a threat — and it’s often the very first one people get.
The clock
It gives you a pay-by date. Miss it and nothing seizes overnight — but the failure-to-pay penalty and interest keep running, and the reminder ladder below begins. If you can’t pay in full, the answer isn’t silence: get on a plan.
IRS — Understanding your CP14 notice irs.gov
CP2000 — “Your records don’t match ours.”
What it means
This is the one people misread most. A CP2000 is a proposal, not a bill. An IRS computer compared your return to the W-2s, 1099s, and 1098s that employers and banks reported, found a difference, and is proposing a change to your tax. It is often wrong— a form counted twice, income that was already reported, a cost basis the IRS doesn’t know about.
The clock
The notice includes a response form and a deadline (generally 30 days). You can agree, partly agree, or disagree— sign the response and, if you disagree, attach a short explanation and documents. Miss the deadline and the IRS moves to make the change final (a Notice of Deficiency), so respond even if you only partly agree.
IRS — Understanding your CP2000 notice irs.gov
CP501 → CP503 → CP504 — the reminder ladder.
If a balance from the CP14 goes unanswered, these arrive in order, each louder than the last. They’re about the samedebt — the escalation is the message.
CP501 · first reminder
“You still have a balance.” A nudge. Pay, or get on a plan, or dispute it — but respond.
CP503 · second reminder
“We haven’t heard from you.” Same debt, sharper tone. The window to handle this on your terms is closing.
CP504 · notice of intent to levy
Now it’s serious. CP504 says the IRS intends to levy your state tax refund and will search for other assets to levy. Important limit: a CP504 by itself does not let the IRS take your wages or bank account, and it does not start your appeal clock— that’s the next notice. But do not wait for it. Call the number on the letter now.
The one deadline you cannot miss
LT11 / Letter 1058 — final notice of intent to levy.
This is the letter with teeth. The LT11 (or Letter 1058, the version a revenue officer sends) is the Final Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing. After it, the IRS can move to levy your wages and bank accounts— but it also hands you a powerful right, and a hard clock.
30 days — request a hearing
You have 30 days from the date of the notice to request a Collection Due Process (CDP) hearing with the IRS Independent Office of Appeals by filing Form 12153. A timely request generally stops the levywhile Appeals reviews your case — where you can argue for a payment plan, an offer, hardship status, or that you don’t owe it. Miss the 30 days and you lose that automatic hold. This is the deadline worth setting an alarm for.
IRS — LT11 / Letter 1058 irs.gov· Collection Due Process FAQs irs.gov· About Form 12153 irs.gov
CP49 — “We kept your refund.”
What it means
Your refund didn’t arrive because the IRS applied it to a tax debt you owe— from this year or a past year. If any refund was left over, the notice tells you what’s coming.
The clock
There’s no levy deadline here — but if the debt was already paid, isn’t yours, or looks wrong, don’t let it slide. Check the year and amount against your account transcript and call the number on the notice to dispute it.
IRS — Understanding your CP49 notice irs.gov
Before you act on any notice: verify it
Pull your free IRS account transcriptthrough the “Get transcript” tool. It lists your balance, payments, penalties, and their codes by year — the official record. Match the notice against it before you pay, respond, or appeal. A notice that doesn’t line up with the transcript is exactly the kind you dispute (and the IRS neverdemands gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers — that’s a scam, every time).
IRS — Get transcript irs.gov
Match the notice to the right move.
A balance you can’t cover
CP14 or the reminder ladder, and the number’s real but you can’t pay it? File on time, then get on a plan. Owe the IRS and can’t pay →
A penalty on the notice
Charged a late-filing or late-payment penalty? The IRS may erase it — often with one phone call. Ask for First-Time Abatement →
A mismatch you think is wrong
Got a CP2000 that doesn’t look right? Use its response form to disagree with a signed explanation before the deadline — don’t just pay it. And if the real problem is a mistake on the return itself — a credit or dependent you left off — that’s a fix, not a dispute. Amend a filed return →
A levy notice (LT11 / Letter 1058)
Call the number on the letter now, and request a CDP hearing with Form 12153 within 30 days to hold off the levy while Appeals reviews. About Form 12153
A joint-return debt that isn’t really yours
If the balance came from a spouse’s side of a joint return, you may not be on the hook for it. Innocent spouse relief →
The move
Read the code, find the deadline, match it to the right response.
A notice is a clock, not a verdict — and you rarely have to answer it alone. A free VITA or Low Income Taxpayer Clinic volunteer reads these letters for a living. Bring the notice and your account transcript, and let someone who knows the codes tell you whether it’s routine, wrong, or urgent.
IRS — Low Income Taxpayer Clinics irs.gov · Get transcript irs.gov
More from the shelf
The three collection-side pages this hub points to: owing the IRS when you can’t pay, erasing a late penalty, and innocent spouse relief. And before you ever assume a bill is right, make sure you claimed everything the child & dependent care credit, student-loan interest, and filing with an ITIN can shrink — and don’t let a preparer sell you an “instant” refund on the way in.