Identity, refunds & unfiled returns
The follow-up to a refund review: the IRS now wants specific documents — pay stubs, employer statements, withholding proof — before it releases your refund.
Handle it
The follow-up to a refund review: the IRS now wants specific documents — pay stubs, employer statements, withholding proof — before it releases your refund.
Why you got it: The CP05 cross-check didn't resolve on its own; a human (or a stricter filter) needs paper proof of income or withholding.
Not an accusation; it's a document request with a deadline. The risk is real though: no documents can mean an adjusted or denied refund.
Your first move: Send exactly what's listed, copies only, by the date on the notice. Employer letters on letterhead fix most withholding mismatches.
Every clock runs from this date — not from the day the letter reached you.
Copies, complete, with a cover note naming the notice and year.
Pay stubs + a written statement of what you requested; the IRS has a path for uncooperative employers (Form 4852 territory).
Address/fax on the notice; keep copies and proof of sending.
Documents go to the address on the paper notice — never to an email address a stranger gives you.
The refund can be reduced or denied based on the records the IRS has — and then you're appealing instead of proving.
Where this sits on the ladder: CP11 → CP75 →
One payment. No subscription. Yours to keep — every notice, every letter, every script.