If you have already filed your tax return and you still haven’t received your refund, check your mail before assuming the IRS is simply taking longer. The agency might send you a notice to verify the income, the withholdings, or the credits you claimed. And if it requests documents, ignoring that request could extend the wait for your money.
One of the letters you should recognize is CP05A. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses it when additional evidence is needed to verify the information on your return before releasing your refund. It does not automatically mean that you have committed fraud or that you have lost the right to receive that money. But it does require that you pay attention.
What does receiving a CP05A letter from the IRS mean?
According to the IRS’s official explanation, the CP05A notice indicates that the agency needs documentation to verify your income and the federal taxes that were withheld from you during the year.
This can occur when the data you reported do not match the information the IRS received from your employer, a financial institution, or another payer.
For example, if you reported certain wages and withholdings, but the information available to the agency does not align, the IRS may request proof before issuing your refund.
The agency also uses another notice: the CP05. The difference is important. If you receive a CP05, you typically do not have to submit documents immediately; the IRS asks you to wait up to 60 days to complete its review. In contrast, if you receive a CP05A, you should review which documents are being requested and respond before the date stated in the letter.
What documents should you send to release your refund?
If you received a CP05A, it isn’t enough to call the IRS and explain that you need the money. The agency requires evidence to support the data on your return.
Among the documents it may accept are:
The IRS notes that the documentation should show when you received the wages, how much you earned, and how much was withheld for federal taxes.
You can submit the files using the official document upload tool, following the instructions in your notice. You can also respond by fax or by mail to the details listed in the notice. Don’t forget to include a copy of the letter.
What happens if you ignore the IRS letter?
The main risk is that your refund remains on hold while the agency cannot complete the review. If it cannot verify the information, it could request additional evidence or deny part or all of the refund. If you disagree with that decision, you have the right to challenge it.
If you have already submitted the documents, the IRS recommends waiting up to 60 days from the date you provided them for the review to conclude. If you do not hear anything after that period, you can contact the agency.
You can also check the status of your payment on Where’s My Refund? or on the IRS2Go app.
And one more thing you should not overlook: if you receive a letter about a return you never filed, don’t ignore it. It could be a case of tax identity theft. In that situation, the IRS states that you should complete Form 14039 to report possible misuse of your information.
A held refund can complicate any family’s budget. That’s why, if the IRS writes to you, first identify the notice number and follow the specific instructions. Not all letters require the same response, and mixing them up can cause you to lose weeks waiting for money you might already be able to claim.
