CP2000

A CP2000 says income or payment information the IRS received from third parties — employers, banks, brokerages — doesn't match what was reported on your return, and it proposes changes. The IRS's own page is emphatic on the key point: this is not a bill, and it is not an audit. It's a mismatch report with a proposal attached, and the proposal can be wrong.

“Here's what third parties reported about you, here's what your return said, and here's the change we propose — it may raise your tax, lower it, or not change it. Tell us by the response date whether you agree or disagree, with documentation. If we don't hear from you, a further notice and a bill can follow.”

Responding by the printed date — agree, disagree, or ask for more time — keeps this in the proposal stage. Silence is what converts a proposal into an assessment. Extensions can be requested, and disagreement with documentation is a normal, expected response the notice itself provides a form for.

• The full notice, especially the page listing each mismatched item
• Your tax return for that year
• The third-party documents involved — W-2s, 1099s, brokerage statements
• Cost-basis or expense records if the flagged income is gross proceeds — stock and crypto sales are classic false matches

• Checking each proposed item — CP2000s routinely overstate tax because third-party forms show gross amounts without basis or related expenses
• Drafting the disagreement response with the documentation that actually resolves it
• Handling the follow-through so the case closes rather than escalating to a statutory notice
• Amending other years if the same mismatch repeats