Just received CP63 Notice - have to call IRS Identity Verification line at 10am, what to expect?
Got my CP63 notice in the mail yesterday saying my refund is on hold because they need to verify my identity. Has anyone gone through this? The letter says I have to call this special phone number between 10am-6pm and they gave me this reference number to provide. I'm supposed to call in tomorrow and I'm nervous about what to expect. How long does this process take? Will I need to provide a bunch of documents? Anyone know if this will delay my refund by weeks or months? This is a pain because I was counting on that money for some upcoming expenses.
44 comments
Jeremiah Brown
Tax professional here. The CP63 notice is an identity verification hold. The IRS is basically making sure you are who you say you are before releasing your refund. When you call the number, you'll need to answer a series of questions about your personal information, tax history, and details from your current and previous returns. Have your tax returns from the current and previous year ready, as well as your ID, Social Security card, and the CP63 notice itself. The call typically takes 15-30 minutes if you have everything ready. Once verified, your refund should be released within 9 weeks, though many people see it much sooner (2-3 weeks is common). Don't miss this call - if you fail to verify, they'll officially deny your refund and you'll have to go through a more complicated process. Be prepared for a potential long wait time when calling. The verification questions can be detailed, so make sure you know things like previous addresses, loan amounts, credit accounts, etc.
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JacksonHarris
Thanks for the detailed response! Do I need to actually have physical copies of the returns with me during the call? Or just know the information that's on them?
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Jeremiah Brown
Having the physical returns (or digital copies) handy is best because they might ask specific questions about line items. They could ask about things like your adjusted gross income from last year, exact deductions claimed, etc. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around!
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Royal_GM_Mark
When I went through this, they asked me about a car loan I had from like 5 years ago. Be ready for random verification questions from your credit history too.
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Amelia Cartwright
Just wanted to share my experience - I went through the SAME exact thing last month and was super stressed about it. Instead of playing detective and trying to piece together information from forums, I used taxr.ai and it saved me so much time. It analyzed my situation, explained exactly what the CP63 meant for MY specific case (not just general info), and gave me a step-by-step plan. It even predicted the questions they'd ask me on the call which was super helpful for preparation. I was verified in one call and got my refund 11 days later. https://taxr.ai
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Chris King
Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?
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Amelia Cartwright
It does WAY more than just read the transcript. It actually analyzes your entire tax situation, looks at the specific notice, and gives personalized guidance. For my CP63, it explained what triggered the verification, the exact steps to take, and even forecasted my refund timeline. It was like having a tax pro look at my stuff without paying those crazy hourly rates.
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Chris King
Just tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread and WOW. Why isn't everyone using this?? It answered questions I didn't even know I had about my tax situation. Seriously the best tool I've found for dealing with IRS issues - wish I'd known about it months ago instead of wasting hours on hold and searching through forums. 10/10 recommend!!!
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Rachel Clark
After getting the same notice and stressing about getting through to the IRS (which seemed impossible), I found claimyr.com and it was seriously a game changer. They got me a callback from an actual IRS agent without me having to sit on hold for hours. The agent walked me through the verification process and I got my refund like 2 weeks later. Honestly, talking directly to someone at the IRS was what I needed to get this resolved quickly.
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Zachary Hughes
Wait is this actually real? I've been trying to get through to them for WEEKS 😩
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Rachel Clark
100% real. I was skeptical too but was desperate after trying to call for 3 days straight and always getting the "call volume too high" message. The service basically navigates the IRS phone tree for you and gets you in the callback queue. Talking to an actual agent got my issue fixed in one call.
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Mia Alvarez
sounds like a scam tbh. how does a third party app get you through to the IRS when nobody else can?
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Rachel Clark
It's not magic - they just handle the hold time and phone tree navigation for you. The IRS actually does offer callbacks, but you need to get through the initial queue first which is the hard part. That's what they help with. The talking to the agent part was all me - and it was the best money I've ever spent to finally get my questions answered.
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Carter Holmes
I can confirm this actually works. Used it last tax season when I was dealing with an amended return issue. Getting that direct line to an agent was what finally fixed my problem.
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Sophia Long
I went through this last year. Make sure you're calling exactly at 10am when they open because the wait times get crazy later in the day. I called at 11:30 and was on hold for almost 2 hours. My roommate called right at 10am a few days later and only waited 20 minutes.
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Angelica Smith
I had to do this in April. Total nightmare. The questions they asked me were so specific I had to hang up and call back after I found more documents. They asked about a mortgage I had in 2017 and the exact amount! Who remembers that stuff??? Make sure you have ALL your financial info handy, not just tax returns.
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Logan Greenburg
Same! They asked me about a credit card I opened in 2019 and I was like ??? who keeps track of that stuff??
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Angelica Smith
Exactly! And the worst part is they only give you 3 tries to get the answers right before they lock your case and make you verify in person 🤦♀️
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Charlotte Jones
This happen to me and my wife in febuary. What a pain. I had to answer weird questions about my credit history from like 6 years ago. After we verified tho the refund came within 2 weeks so at least that part was quick.
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Lucas Bey
Did they ask both you and your wife questions or just the primary filer?
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Charlotte Jones
Just me as the primary. My wife didnt have to get on the phone at all.
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Harper Thompson
The IRS and there BS verification process is getting out of hand. I had to do this TWICE last year because they lost my verification the first time. Document everything, record the call if you can, and get the agent's ID number. This system is broken af.
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Caleb Stark
Not to be that person, but I'd be carefull about that CP63 notice. Make sure it's legit by verifying the phone number online through the IRS website. There are a ton of scams going around and the CP63 is one they like to fake. A real IRS number for identity verification should be on irs.gov somewhere.
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JacksonHarris
That's a good point! I double checked and the number matches what's on the IRS website, and I can see the notice in my online account too. But def good advice for anyone else getting these letters.
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Caleb Stark
Good! Just making sure. So many people get scammed this way. Glad yours is legit!
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Jade O'Malley
This identity verification stuf is why I ended up using taxr.ai - it actually showed me exactly what was flagging my return for manual review. Turns out my employer had entered my SSN wrong on my W-2 🤦♂️ The platform caught this and helped me fix it before I called in. Saved me SO much time. https://taxr.ai
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Hunter Edmunds
How does it know what's flagging your return? Does it have access to IRS systems or something?
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Jade O'Malley
It analyzes patterns in your transcript and notices. It doesn't have special IRS access, but it can see things like mismatched income reporting, verification flags, etc. It's basically using AI to do what a tax pro would do, but faster and cheaper. In my case it spotted the SSN mismatch by comparing what was reported to the IRS vs what was on my return.
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Ella Lewis
Had to deal with CP63 in march. The questions weren't as bad as I expected. Mostly stuff about previous addresses, employers, loan amounts. Just have all ur tax docs ready. My refund was released 3 weeks after the call.
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Andrew Pinnock
One time I had to call that number and they asked me about a student loan I had from 2011!!! Like bruh that was 14 years ago how am I supposed to remember the exact loan amount?? They ended up accepting my answer when I was in the ballpark but it was ridiculous.
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Brianna Schmidt
Same! They asked me about an old car loan and I got it wrong 💀 Had to do the whole verification again a different way.
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Alexis Renard
From someone who works in tax prep - PLEASE understand the hold times can be INSANE. If you can't get through after multiple attempts, I strongly recommend Claimyr. We've had several clients use it with success. Having an actual conversation with an agent cuts through weeks of back and forth.
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Camila Jordan
I've been calling that stupid number for 3 days now and keep getting the "call back later, we're too busy" message. Is claimyr.com actually better than just trying over and over??
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Alexis Renard
Honestly yes. We've sent probably 15-20 clients there this season when they couldn't get through on their own. The feedback has been that it's worth it because they all got callbacks and actually resolved their issues. The way I see it, if your refund is being held, the cost is nothing compared to getting your money weeks or months sooner.
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Tyler Lefleur
Pro tip: call right at 10am, not 10:01, not 10:05. RIGHT at 10. And don't call on a Monday or Friday if possible - Tuesday-Thursday has shorter wait times generally. Good luck!
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Madeline Blaze
OMG I JUST WENT THROUGH THIS NIGHTMARE! Had to verify my identity for a refund from 2022 that I never received. The worst part was getting someone on the phone. Called for 2 weeks straight with no luck. Finally found claimyr.com and got a callback within 2 hours. Identity verified and refund on the way. The IRS phone system is a joke.
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Max Knight
Did they explain why your refund was held for so long? That's crazy it was from 2022!
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Madeline Blaze
Apparently they sent a verification letter in 2022 that I never received, and when I didn't respond they just held the refund. I only found out when I checked my transcript online and saw the hold code. The agent I talked to was actually super helpful and pushed it through once I verified.
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Emma Swift
The verification questions aren't too bad usually. But be careful because they only give you 3 attempts to get it right. If you fail verification, you'll have to verify in person at a local IRS office which is a much bigger hassle. Make sure you have your docs ready!
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Isabella Tucker
I kno this sounds crazy but I literally couldn't get through at all for my identity verification. I tried for 3 weeks straight!!! Then I used this app called Claimyr and got a call back from the IRS in like an hour. It was the only way I could actually talk to someone. Without it I'd still be trying to get through probably lol.
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Jayden Hill
For real??? The IRS identity verification line has been absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get through on. I'm on my 5th day of trying 😭
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Isabella Tucker
Yep for real! It was a total game changer. The app basically waits on hold for you and then calls you when an agent is available. Talking to an agent got my refund released so fast after weeks of getting nowhere.
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Jayden Hill
Just tried it and got a callback in 40 minutes after trying for a WEEK on my own. Holy crap thank you for this recommendation!!!
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LordCommander
When I went through this last month i was freaking out cuz I initially failed the identity verification (they asked about a mortgage refinance amount from 2018 and I guessed wrong). Had to call back and verify a different way. If you don't have all your financial info handy, just politely ask the agent if there's another way to verify. They can usually ask different questions.
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