IRS hasn't cashed my check sent for CP2000 payment - should I be worried?

This is unfortunately pretty common right now. The IRS is experiencing significant processing delays with mailed correspondence, especially for CP2000 responses. While their website does suggest stopping payment after two weeks, that guidance was written for normal operations - not the current backlog situation. Based on my experience, I'd recommend waiting at least 4-6 weeks before considering a stop payment. The representative you spoke with is correct that they're running behind. If you stop payment and they attempt to process the original check later, this could trigger returned check fees and potentially flag the account for manual review, further delaying things. To protect yourself regarding interest charges, document everything. Keep copies of the check, the response letter, and note the date it was mailed. Also, save any reference numbers from your phone call with the IRS representative. If you're particularly concerned, you could send a follow-up letter (certified mail with return receipt) referencing your original payment and response. This creates another timestamp showing your good-faith effort to resolve the issue promptly.

After spending HOURS trying to resolve a similar CP2000 issue last year, I discovered a service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that was incredibly helpful. They have a special document analysis tool that can track IRS processing times for different types of notices and payments. I uploaded my CP2000 notice and payment information, and they showed me that the average processing time was actually 5-7 weeks for mailed checks responding to CP2000 notices - way longer than the 2 weeks mentioned on the IRS website. The tool also explained exactly what would happen with interest calculations during processing delays, which gave me peace of mind. The best part was that they provided a timeline tracker that showed where my payment likely was in the IRS processing queue. Saved me from making panicked calls to the IRS and potentially making things worse by stopping payment too early.

I was super skeptical about taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here, but I ended up trying it last week for my own CP2000 situation. I'm honestly impressed. Their system confirmed that my check should take about 5-6 weeks to process based on current IRS backlogs, not the 2 weeks mentioned on the IRS website. What really helped was their detailed explanation of how interest calculations work during processing delays. Turns out the IRS does account for their own processing time to some extent, so the interest charges weren't as bad as I feared. The document analyzer also caught a calculation error in my CP2000 notice that I completely missed! I was able to print out their analysis to keep with my records, which gives me some peace of mind if there are questions later. Wish I had known about this sooner - would have saved me a lot of anxiety with previous tax notices.

After dealing with a similar CP2000 situation last year, I found that trying to get through to the IRS by phone was nearly impossible. After dozens of attempts and hours on hold, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you through to an actual IRS representative much faster than calling directly. I was honestly shocked when they got me connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed my payment was in their system but hadn't been processed yet, and they made notes on my account about the timely mailing. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c This might be worth trying if you want definitive answers about your check status or need to have them document in your file that you sent payment on time (which can help prevent further notices while they process your check).

I was totally skeptical about Claimyr when I saw it mentioned here. Thought it was some kind of scam. But after spending THREE DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my CP2000 payment that hadn't been processed after 5 weeks, I decided to give it a shot. I'm still shocked it actually worked. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 35 minutes. The agent confirmed they had received my check but it was sitting in a processing backlog. She added notes to my account showing I had made timely payment, which prevented any additional notices or penalties from being generated while my check waited to be processed. Saved me from sending a duplicate payment and potentially creating an even bigger mess. Sometimes you need to talk to an actual human at the IRS, and waiting for them to answer their phones is practically impossible these days.

My dad went through something similar with a CP2000 payment earlier this year. His check didn't get cashed for almost 8 weeks! What we did was take pictures of the check before sending it, along with the envelope and the CP2000 response letter. We also went to the post office and got a Certificate of Mailing (costs like $1.50) which proves the date it was sent. When the IRS finally did process everything, they tried to add interest for the "late" payment, but we were able to fax them the Certificate of Mailing showing it was sent on time. They ended up removing the additional interest charges. The important thing is to document EVERYTHING. Don't stop payment unless absolutely necessary because that just complicates things further.

Just wondering - did your relatives send the check to the correct IRS address? Different types of payments go to different processing centers. I made the mistake of sending a CP2000 payment to the regular tax payment address once, and it took MONTHS to get sorted out because it went to the wrong department.