CP05A

A CP05A is the CP05's follow-up: the IRS can't finish verifying income and withholding from its own records, so the refund stays held until you send proof. It tells you exactly what counts as proof — and, notably, a W-2 is not on the list.

“Send documentation of your wages and withholding by the date on this notice — at least three pay stubs including the year-end one, or a letter on your employer's letterhead, or a retirement benefits statement. Don't send the W-2; we need corroboration from outside the return. Upload is fastest. Allow 60 days after you respond.”

The refund waits on the documentation, so the printed date is really a floor on how long the wait lasts. The specific acceptable documents are listed on the notice and above — sending the wrong kind (like the W-2 itself) restarts the clock.

• The notice — a copy must accompany the reply
• At least three pay stubs including the end-of-year stub, or an employer letter on letterhead with contact details
• Retirement benefit statements if that's the income involved
• The dates, gross income, and withholding figures the notice asks to see

• Assembling documentation that satisfies the verification the first time
• Standing in for you with the employer when old pay records are hard to get
• Escalating through the Taxpayer Advocate Service if the held refund is causing hardship
• Spotting the identity-theft case — a return you didn't file — and rerouting it properly