IRS Sent Two Identity Verification Letters - One With Maiden Name, One With Married Name

I had exactly the same situation 27 days ago. You need to verify BOTH letters. The IRS treats each letter as a separate case with a unique control number, even though it's the same person. I spent exactly 43 minutes on hold with the IRS to confirm this. If you only verify one, the other verification request stays open in their system and could delay your refund by up to 120 days! So weird they can't figure out it's the same person.

Went thru this last yr after getting married. IRS systems don't talk to each other properly. Had to verify both my maiden name (tax return from prev yr) and married name (current return). Took forever bc the IRS website kept timing out. Pro tip: do the verification during off-hrs (like 6am or 11pm). Way less traffic on their servers. And def keep both confirmation #s when you're done. You might need them later if there's a prob.

According to the IRS.gov website, you absolutely need to verify both letters separately. I tried calling the IRS verification hotline to confirm this and spent 2+ hours on hold before giving up. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) to get through to an agent who confirmed that both verifications are required. The agent explained that their system treats each name as a separate taxpayer account until verification links them together. Saved me hours of redial attempts!

Has anyone thought about why the IRS can't figure this out internally? They clearly know both names belong to the same person since they have your SSN, right? Why make taxpayers jump through hoops for their internal system limitations? And don't they realize how much money they're wasting on postage and processing duplicate verifications?

Be very careful with this situation. I ignored one of my verification letters thinking it was a duplicate, and it caused a massive headache. Here's what happened: 1. I only verified the letter with my current name 2. My refund got delayed by 4 months 3. I received a CP05A audit notice because the unverified identity triggered a review 4. Had to submit additional documentation 5. Finally got my refund but with no interest despite the IRS error Don't make my mistake - verify both letters exactly as instructed.

According to Internal Revenue Manual section 25.25.6, the IRS is required to resolve all identity verification issues before processing a return. Per IRS Publication 5027, taxpayers should respond to all notices separately using the specific case numbers provided. You might consider contacting the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 if you encounter issues with the verification process, as they can sometimes help resolve these duplicate verification scenarios more efficiently than standard IRS channels.