IRS identity verification: confirm your return and release your refund

For taxpayers in your state, IRS identity verification holds your return, and your refund can take up to 9 weeks after you verify.

Call now and a licensed tax pro starts on your letter today, going through your verification step by step for free.

We answer your call, read your identity letter with you for free, and start your verification right away.

Why did I get an IRS identity verification letter?

A return came in under your Social Security number, and something about it looked off to the IRS. It is holding that return until you confirm it. You owe nothing because of this letter.

The letter number decides your path. A 5071C or CP5071 lets you verify online. A 4883C requires a phone call to the Taxpayer Protection Program number printed in it. Our licensed tax pro can handle that call for you.

If you did not file a return at all, you still verify and say so. That tells the IRS someone else used your number.

How do I verify my identity?

1. Online. For a 5071C, verification happens at irs.gov/verifyreturn. You sign in with an ID.me account, then answer questions about the return.
2. By phone. A 4883C is handled through the hotline printed in the letter. With a signed Form 2848, our licensed tax pro can make that call for you or sit on it with you.
3. In person. If phone verification fails, the IRS will ask for an appointment at a local IRS office with your papers. Our tax pro helps you get those papers ready.

Trust only the web address printed on the letter or on irs.gov.

What do I need before I verify?

• The letter itself.
• The tax return named in the letter. A wage or income statement is not a return.
• A return from another year, if you filed one.
• The papers behind each return, such as wage statements, income statements, and Schedule C or F.

The verification questions are about these returns, so having them ready keeps it to one sitting.

How do I tell a real letter from a fake?

Scammers copy identity letters because people expect to hand over details. The IRS scam warning page lists the signs of a fake contact. A fake comes out of the blue, rushes or threatens you, asks for bank details, or demands payment now.

A real 5071C or 4883C never asks for money. The IRS notice search on irs.gov shows what a real letter with that number asks for. A matching number alone does not prove a letter is real.

If you doubt your letter, share nothing and call us first. Our guide to real and fake IRS letters has the full checklist.

What happens after I verify?

Wait 2 to 3 weeks, then check your refund status. Processing can take up to 9 weeks after you verify, according to the IRS verification page.

Do not file Form 14039, the identity theft form, after a 4883C unless the IRS tells you to. To stop someone filing with your number next year, get an IP PIN.

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Confirmed 22 Sep 2026