Got IRS Letter 5071C? How to Verify Your Identity and Release Your Refund (Safely)
You received IRS Letter 5071C or a CP5071-series notice asking you to verify your identity and tax return. Follow the exact notice you received: 5747C uses a different route if you filed the return.
Why this matters (and where scams hit): the IRS issues identity-verification notices, but scammers mimic them. Confirm the notice against irs.gov and use the official service or verified letter instructions—never a verification link in an unsolicited email or text. Follow the notice’s deadline; processing remains on hold until verification is complete.
Step 1: Confirm it’s genuine
- A real 5071C arrives by mail, references your tax return, and directs you to irs.gov/verifyreturn (the Identity and Tax Return Verification Service) or the number on the letter.
- The IRS does not initiate identity verification by email, text, or social media. If you got a “5071C” that way, it’s a scam — don’t click.
Step 2: Follow the online route on your 5071C/CP5071 notice
- Go directly to irs.gov → Identity and Tax Return Verification Service (type the address yourself; don’t follow an emailed link).
- Sign in / create an ID.me account, then answer the verification prompts.
- Have ready: the 5071C letter, the tax return it refers to, a prior-year return, and a photo ID.
Step 3: Use the phone option on that notice if needed
Call the toll-free number on your 5071C letter (not a number from a search result). Have the same documents on hand. Phone waits can be long, so online is usually faster.
If your letter is 5747C and you filed the return: call the appointment number on the letter to arrange in-person authentication at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. The taxpayer must attend, even when an authorized representative helps. Bring the letter, the referenced return, supporting tax documents and the identity documents listed in the IRS’s 5747C instructions. Online completion of the 5071C flow is not a substitute. If you did not file the return, call the Taxpayer Protection Program hotline on the 5747C letter to report that instead.
Step 4: After verifying
Once your identity and return are verified, processing can resume; the IRS says it may take up to nine weeks, and other issues can cause further delay. Track it with Where’s My Refund.
FAQ
Is my refund lost if I ignore it? Your return won’t process until you verify, and there’s a deadline on the letter. Don’t ignore it.
Do I need an ID.me account? The online service uses ID.me. Follow the alternatives on your exact notice if online verification fails. For a 5747C concerning a return you filed, arrange the required in-person appointment.