Letter 5071C

A 5071C letter (part of the CP5071 series) says a tax return was filed under your Social Security number and the IRS wants to confirm it was really you before processing it. It's a checkpoint, not an accusation — and if you didn't file, it's the system catching a fraudulent return before it pays out.

“A return arrived under your number. Verify your identity — online at the address in the letter, in most cases — and tell us whether the return is yours. If it is, we'll keep processing. If it isn't, you may be an identity theft victim, and telling us is exactly what stops the fraudulent return.”

Nothing bad accelerates if verification takes a week — but nothing good happens either: the return, and any refund in it, sits frozen. Verifying promptly, with the listed documents at hand, is what restarts the clock.

• The letter, which contains the verification instructions and web address
• The tax return for the year listed, if you filed one
• A prior-year return if available
• Supporting documents — W-2s, 1099s, schedules — for the returns

• Preparing you for exactly what verification asks, so it passes the first time
• The didn't-file case: reporting the fraudulent return and protecting the account
• Following processing after verification so the refund actually arrives
• IP PIN setup to prevent a repeat next season