How long does it take to receive IRS 14-digit verification notice after filing 10 days ago?
I filed my tax return about 10 days ago and received a message that I need to verify my return. Went to the IRS official website and there's this verification page asking for a 14-digit control number from a notice they supposedly mailed me. But I haven't received anything in the mail yet. The page is titled "Verify Your Return" and has a section that says "Verify Your Notice" followed by "Did you receive an IRS return verification notice in the mail?" It explicitly states "You will need this notice to continue with this online service. If you received a notice, but don't have it with you, please come back later." There are two options on the page: 1. "Yes" - which then asks me to "Enter the 14-digit control number provided on your notice, you don't need to use spaces." 2. "No, please resend the notice" - which includes a warning that "If you have filed your return within the last 7 days, please allow an additional 14 days to receive the notice in the mail before requesting another one to be sent. You can then come back and continue verifying." Does anyone know how long these verification notices usually take to arrive? I'm on the sa.www4.irs.gov website, and since I filed 10 days ago, should I just keep waiting the full 14 days as suggested, or should I click the option to request them to resend it now? I'm getting really anxious about my refund being held up because of this verification step.
38 comments
Landon Morgan
Tax professional here. The IRS verification notices (usually Letter 4883C or 5071C) typically take 7-14 business days to arrive after your return is flagged for verification. This is part of the IRS identity theft prevention program. Don't request a new notice yet since you're only 10 days in. The system actually won't process a resend request until at least 14 days have passed from your filing date. Once you get the notice, you'll be able to verify either online at idverify.irs.gov or by phone - the notice will specify which option. The verification process itself is pretty straightforward once you have the notice - you'll need your prior year AGI, filing status, some info from this year's return, and possibly ID documents if doing it by phone.
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Ellie Perry
Thank you so much. This helps calm my nerves a bit. I'll wait the full 14 days before doing anything else.
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Teresa Boyd
I had this happen last year and it took almost 3 weeks for my letter to show up. USPS delays are real 🙄
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Landon Morgan
No problem! Yeah, mail delays are a factor too. Just be patient and keep checking your mailbox.
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Lourdes Fox
Hi everyone. I had the same verification issue last month and was so confused trying to figure out what was happening with my return. I ended up using taxr.ai to help understand what was going on. The tool analyzed my transcript and explained exactly why I was flagged for verification and what to expect. Super helpful when you're in that weird limbo waiting for the letter! It helped me understand what codes to look for on my transcript. The site is https://taxr.ai if anyone else is stuck in this confusing cycle.
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Bruno Simmons
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Lourdes Fox
It does a lot more than just reading. It analyzes all those confusing codes and tells you in plain english what's happening and what to expect next. It found things I would've never noticed on my own!
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Bruno Simmons
Just tried taxr.ai and WOW. This is EXACTLY what I needed!! It explained everything about my verification status in detail and told me exactly what to do next. Such a time saver compared to hours of googling and getting nowhere. Everyone dealing with IRS issues should use this!
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Aileen Rodriguez
is it free tho? sounds too good to be true tbh
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Lourdes Fox
It's not free but honestly it's worth every penny. I spent weeks stressing and this solved it in minutes.
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Zane Gray
After waiting 3 weeks for my verification letter and getting nowhere, I tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get someone on the phone at the IRS. Was skeptical at first but it worked! Got a callback within 30 minutes and the agent was able to verify my identity right over the phone. Saved me weeks of waiting for that stupid letter. Best money I ever spent after wasting hours on hold getting nowhere.
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Maggie Martinez
Wait hold up - how does this actually work? The IRS phone system is literally impossible to get through
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Zane Gray
I know right? They somehow navigate the phone tree for you and set up a callback when they reach an agent. I was shocked when my phone actually rang with an IRS agent on the line lol. You don't have to sit there hitting redial for hours.
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Alejandro Castro
sounds like BS... the irs never answers their phones 🙄
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Zane Gray
Thought the same thing until I tried it! Trust me I wasted DAYS trying to get through on my own before this. It works.
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Monique Byrd
I waited for almost 4 weeks for my verification letter last year and it never came. Had to request a resend and then waited another 2 weeks. The IRS is a complete disaster. Eventually got it and verified over the phone, but my refund was delayed by over 2 months. Good times 🙃
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Jackie Martinez
When this happened to me in March I actually called the IRS Taxpayer Protection Program directly at 800-830-5084. You can sometimes verify over the phone without waiting for the letter. Had to wait on hold for like 2 hours but it worked. Just have all your tax docs and ID ready.
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Ellie Perry
Did you need any specific documents for the call? I'll try this tomorrow if my letter doesn't show up.
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Jackie Martinez
You'll need your ID, social security card, this years return and last years return. Also they ask some weird verification questions like previous addresses, loan amounts etc. so have your credit report handy just in case.
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Lia Quinn
I tried calling that number every day for a week. Never got through. Always the "call volume too high, try again later" message. Total waste of time 😤
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Haley Stokes
mine came exactly 12 days after filing. The letter tells you to go to idverify.irs.gov where you verify with ID.me which is a whole other headache lol. Make sure u have a good smartphone camera and drivers license ready.
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Asher Levin
ID.me is the absolute WORST. I had to do a video call verification because their automated system kept failing. Took 3 days to get an appointment 🤬
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Haley Stokes
omg yes! I forgot about the video call nonsense. My first attempt failed bc my lighting wasnt good enough and they couldnt see my face clearly. Such a pain.
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Serene Snow
FYI - if you have an online account with the IRS already, you might be able to see the notice in your online account before it arrives in the mail. Worth checking!
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Ellie Perry
Oh I didn't think of that! I do have an account. I'll check right now, thanks!
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Ellie Perry
Just checked and nothing there yet. But good suggestion!
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Issac Nightingale
anyone else having USPS mail delays in general? my neighbor got his tax documents 3 weeks after they were supposedly delivered according to informed delivery. might be worth checking if thats happening in your area too.
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Romeo Barrett
Quick tip: If you end up needing to verify by phone, call right when they open at 7am Eastern. I got through in only 20 minutes by doing this. If you call midday you'll be waiting forever if you get through at all.
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Marina Hendrix
This is the real pro tip 👆 Early morning is the only way to reach them without a 3 hour wait.
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Justin Trejo
Ok so I went through this EXACT same thing in February. I NEVER received the letter, requested a resend, and still nothing. Ended up using taxr.ai and they helped me figure out exactly what was going on with my transcript and what codes to look for. Then used Claimyr to finally talk to someone at the IRS who verified me over the phone. Refund came one week later. Sometimes ya just gotta use the right tools instead of waiting forever on the IRS's broken system!
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Alana Willis
how much did that cost u? seems like we shouldnt have to pay just to get our own money back from the government...
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Justin Trejo
Cheaper than taking a day off work to sit on hold for 8 hours lol. And way less stressful! I've learned that sometimes paying a little to save a lot of hassle is worth it.
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Tyler Murphy
just want to say that if you keep waiting and never get the letter, you might want to check if someone stole your mail. my identity was stolen last year and they were intercepting my mail including irs notices. id theft is the reason these verification letters exist in the first place.
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Ellie Perry
Oh no, I hadn't even considered that possibility. That's scary to think about. I'll keep an eye on my credit reports just in case.
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Sara Unger
HEADS UP: This happened to me and I learned you can also be selected for verification RANDOMLY even if there's no suspicion of fraud. It's just part of their standard security measures. So don't panic thinking you did something wrong!
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Butch Sledgehammer
I kept waiting for my verification letter until my accountant told me to check my spam folder... turns out they had emailed me instead of sending physical mail!! This was last month so maybe they're doing things differently now. Check all your email folders including spam/promotions/etc
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Freya Ross
The IRS doesn't email verification notices... you sure that wasn't a scam?
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Butch Sledgehammer
It was legit - went through the official irs.gov portal. I think it's because I had selected electronic communications in my online account. But def check to make sure it's truly from IRS domain.
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