How to respond to IRS CP2100A notice when my 1099-NEC is actually correct?
I received a CP2100A notice about a week ago (dated October 15, 2023) regarding a 1099-NEC I issued to myself from my Sole Proprietorship. According to the IRS, there's an issue with my name on the form - apparently a letter is missing from my first name, and the first digit of my TIN is supposedly wrong. Here's the weird part though... when I look at all the carbon copies I have (Copy B for Recipient, Copy 2 for state filing, and Copy C for Payer), everything is 100% correct. Since these are carbon copies of Copy A that went to the IRS, I'm pretty sure the IRS is the one who made the data entry mistake, not me. The notice came from Philadelphia. Is there a specific way I should respond in writing? Should I just send a letter to the Philadelphia address with a copy of the 1099-NEC to prove the information was correct on my end? Is there a specific address or department I need to direct this to? I want to make sure this gets resolved properly since it was their error, not mine.
30 comments


Caleb Stone
The CP2100A notice is basically telling you there's a mismatch between the name/TIN combination on your 1099-NEC and what the IRS has in their system. Even if you're confident you submitted everything correctly, you still need to respond. You should respond to the exact address listed in the "What you need to do" section of your CP2100A notice. This is usually different from the return address on the envelope. Include a copy of your 1099-NEC (not the original) showing the correct information, and a brief letter explaining that the information was correctly submitted on your original form. Be sure to reference your notice number (CP2100A) and the date of the notice in your response. Also include your phone number in case they need to contact you for clarification.
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Daniel Price
•Thanks for the info! Quick question - is there a specific timeframe I need to respond within? I've had the notice for about 2 weeks now and don't want to miss any deadlines. Also, should I send it certified mail so I have proof they received it?
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Caleb Stone
•You should respond within 60 days of the date on the notice. The IRS typically gives this timeframe for CP2100A responses, but double-check your specific notice as instructions can sometimes vary. Yes, I would definitely recommend sending it via certified mail with return receipt requested. This gives you documentation of when it was received and by whom. Keep copies of everything you send, along with your certified mail receipt and return receipt as proof of your response.
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Olivia Evans
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Sophia Bennett
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Aiden Chen
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Olivia Evans
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Aiden Chen
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Christopher Morgan
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Aurora St.Pierre
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Grace Johnson
Quick tip from someone who deals with these notices regularly - make sure to keep the B notice (CP2100A) and your response separate from your regular tax filings. Sending them together can cause confusion and delay both processes. Also, if you're issuing 1099s to yourself from your sole prop, you might want to consider an S-Corp election instead. It can sometimes help avoid these kinds of issues since you'd be on payroll with W-2s instead of 1099s, plus there can be tax advantages. Just a thought for future planning!
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Jade Santiago
•Thanks for the tip about keeping these responses separate! Question about the S-Corp suggestion though - isn't there a lot more paperwork and fees involved with maintaining an S-Corp vs a sole proprietorship? I'm pretty small scale and wondering if the benefits would outweigh the added complexity.
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Grace Johnson
•You're right that S-Corps require more paperwork and have some additional costs. You'll need to file Form 1120-S annually, issue yourself a reasonable salary on a W-2, and in many states pay annual fees that sole props don't have to pay. Depending on your state, these might range from $50 to several hundred dollars per year. The tax savings typically kick in when your business profit is high enough that the self-employment tax savings exceed the additional costs. As a very rough guideline, many tax pros suggest considering it when your business nets at least $40,000-$50,000 in profit, but it varies based on your specific situation. It's definitely worth consulting with a tax professional who can run the numbers specific to your case.
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Jayden Reed
I'm curious - has anyone else noticed an increase in these types of errors from the IRS lately? I've gotten two incorrect notices in the past year, and several of my clients have as well. Seems like their systems are really struggling with even basic data entry.
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Nora Brooks
•YES! It's gotten so much worse. I think they're still dealing with massive backlogs and probably hired a bunch of new people who aren't properly trained. I've received three incorrect notices this year alone. One claimed I didn't file a schedule C when I definitely did, another had incorrect amounts from my W-2, and the third was similar to OP's situation with incorrect info on a 1099.
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Jayden Reed
•That's really concerning to hear it's so widespread. I wonder if the IRS modernization funding they've been talking about in the news will actually help with these issues. The tech they're using must be ancient at this point. For anyone dealing with these notices, I'd suggest always requesting a transcript of your account after you send in corrections, just to make sure they actually processed your response. You can get these online now through the IRS website, which is at least one improvement they've made.
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Eli Wang
Is it weird that I issue 1099-NECs to myself? I have an LLC and was told I should be doing this, but now I'm wondering if that's what caused the confusion.
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Caleb Stone
•If your LLC is a single-member LLC that hasn't elected to be taxed as an S-Corp or C-Corp, then you typically shouldn't be issuing yourself a 1099-NEC. Since a single-member LLC is a disregarded entity for tax purposes, it's essentially the same as a sole proprietorship, and you don't issue 1099s to yourself in that case. You would only issue a 1099-NEC to yourself if you have two separate business entities, and one is paying the other for services. For example, if you have a Corporation that pays you personally as an independent contractor (though even this arrangement can be questioned by the IRS). Who advised you to issue yourself a 1099-NEC? It might be worth consulting with a different tax professional to make sure you're handling things correctly.
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Eli Wang
•Oh man, I think I've been doing this wrong then. I have a single-member LLC and my previous accountant told me to issue 1099s to myself. Sounds like I need a new accountant! Thanks for the clarification - I'll definitely be looking into this more.
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Dylan Evans
Just wanted to add my experience here - I had a very similar CP2100A notice situation last year. The key thing that helped me was being very specific in my response letter about exactly what the IRS claimed was wrong versus what I actually submitted. In your letter, I'd recommend starting with something like "I am responding to CP2100A notice dated [date] regarding 1099-NEC for tax year [year]. The notice indicates discrepancies in the name and TIN, however, the enclosed copy shows the information was correctly reported as follows: [list the correct name and TIN exactly as they appear on your form]." Also, make sure to include your EIN or SSN at the top of your response letter, not just on the copies of the forms. This helps them match your response to the right account faster. The whole process took about 6-8 weeks for them to acknowledge and correct in my case, so don't panic if you don't hear back immediately. One last tip - if you have your e-filing confirmation or any other proof that shows when and how you submitted the original form, include a copy of that too. It helps establish that the error occurred after you submitted everything correctly.
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Gianni Serpent
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I especially appreciate the specific language suggestion for the response letter. I've been struggling with how to word it professionally while making it clear that this was their mistake, not mine. Quick question - when you mention including the EIN/SSN at the top of the response letter, do you mean in the header section or just in the first paragraph? I want to make sure I format this correctly so it gets routed to the right department quickly. Also, did you send your response to the address in the "What you need to do" section or the return address on the envelope? I've seen conflicting advice on this thread about which address to use.
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Miguel Silva
•For the EIN/SSN placement, I put it right at the top of the letter in a header format, like this: Re: CP2100A Notice dated [date] Taxpayer ID: [your EIN/SSN] Notice Number: [the specific notice number from your CP2100A] Then I started the actual letter content below that. This way it's the first thing they see when they open your response. And definitely use the address in the "What you need to do" section, NOT the return address on the envelope. The return address is just where the notice was printed/mailed from, but the "What you need to do" address is where responses actually get processed. I learned this the hard way when my first response got delayed because I sent it to the wrong place initially.
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Maya Lewis
I went through this exact same situation about 6 months ago with my sole proprietorship. The IRS sent me a CP2100A claiming my SSN was wrong on a 1099-NEC I issued to a contractor, but when I checked my records, everything was 100% accurate. Here's what I learned: Always respond in writing to the specific address listed in the "What you need to do" section of your notice (not the return address). Include a copy of your correctly filled out 1099-NEC along with a brief cover letter explaining that the information was submitted accurately. Make sure to reference the notice number and date prominently in your response. The whole process took about 8 weeks to resolve, but the IRS eventually acknowledged their error and cleared it from my account. One thing that really helped was keeping detailed records of everything I sent - I made copies of my response letter, the 1099-NEC copy I included, and sent everything via certified mail with return receipt. When I called to follow up later, having those tracking numbers made it much easier for the agent to locate my response in their system. Don't stress too much about it - these data entry errors seem to be happening more frequently lately, and as long as you respond promptly with the correct documentation, they're usually pretty straightforward to resolve.
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NeonNova
•This is really reassuring to hear from someone who went through the exact same thing! I'm dealing with my first CP2100A notice and was honestly pretty stressed about it. Your point about the 8-week timeline is especially helpful - I was starting to worry that something was wrong when I didn't hear back after just 3 weeks. Quick question about the certified mail - did you use certified mail with return receipt, or just regular certified mail? I want to make sure I have the strongest possible proof of delivery, especially since this seems to be their error and not mine. Also, when you followed up by phone, did you use one of those callback services mentioned earlier in this thread, or were you able to get through using the regular IRS phone lines? I'm dreading the thought of spending hours on hold, but I want to make sure my response was actually processed correctly.
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Jackie Martinez
I had a very similar experience with a CP2100A notice last year, and I want to echo what others have said about responding promptly and keeping detailed records. The IRS data entry errors seem to be increasing, but they're generally fixable with the right approach. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also check if this affects any state tax filings you might have made. Some states cross-reference federal 1099 data, so if the IRS thinks there's an error, it could potentially trigger issues at the state level too. I'd recommend pulling your state account transcripts (if available online) just to make sure there aren't any corresponding notices coming your way. Also, since you mentioned this is a 1099-NEC you issued to yourself from your sole proprietorship, you might want to double-check with a tax professional that this is the correct approach for your situation. As someone else pointed out, sole proprietors typically don't issue 1099s to themselves - this might be part of what's causing the confusion in the IRS system. The good news is that once you send your response with the correct documentation, these usually get resolved without too much hassle. Just make sure to keep copies of everything and use certified mail so you have proof of delivery.
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Nia Thompson
•Great point about checking state-level impacts! I hadn't even thought about that possibility. I'm in California and they're pretty aggressive about cross-referencing federal data, so I'll definitely log into my state account to see if anything's been triggered there. Your comment about sole proprietors not typically issuing 1099s to themselves really has me second-guessing my setup too. I think I may have gotten some bad advice early on. Do you happen to know if there are any specific resources or publications where I can read more about when 1099s should and shouldn't be issued to yourself? I want to make sure I understand this correctly before I potentially make the same mistake again next year. Thanks for the reminder about certified mail - I was planning to just use regular mail but you're absolutely right that having proof of delivery is crucial, especially when it's their error that caused this whole mess in the first place.
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StarGazer101
I've been dealing with IRS notices for years as a tax preparer, and I want to add a few important points that might help you and others in similar situations. First, regarding the timing - while most people mention the 60-day response window, I always recommend responding within 30 days if possible. The IRS processes responses faster when they're received promptly, and it shows good faith effort on your part. Second, when you write your response letter, be very specific about the alleged errors. In your case, mention exactly which letter is supposedly missing from your first name and which digit of your TIN they claim is wrong, then clearly state what the correct information should be. This level of detail helps the IRS agent processing your response understand exactly what needs to be corrected in their system. Third, I'd strongly recommend including a brief statement like "I request that you update your records to reflect the correct information as submitted on the original form" rather than just sending the documentation without explicitly asking for the correction. Finally, about issuing 1099-NECs to yourself from a sole proprietorship - this is indeed unusual and likely incorrect unless you have a very specific situation involving multiple business entities. A sole proprietorship and the individual owner are the same entity for tax purposes, so you typically wouldn't issue yourself a 1099. This might actually be contributing to the IRS system flagging your forms as suspicious. I'd definitely recommend consulting with a qualified tax professional to review your business structure and filing approach.
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