Need help understanding Letter 12C - what else besides W2 form should I submit for my 2020 tax refund?
So I just got a Letter 12C from the IRS about my 2020 tax return that I filed last year. They're saying they need my W2 form to verify some information, which I get. But the letter has me totally confused about what else they might need. It says something about "supporting documents" but doesn't really specify what that means? I claimed the standard deduction, had one job the whole year (made about $47,500), and had some unemployment for about 2 months when our company temporarily shut down. I also got all three stimulus payments but I think I reported those correctly. Has anyone dealt with this Letter 12C situation before? I don't want to delay my refund more than it already has been (going on 8 months now!), but I'm confused about what exactly I need to send them besides the W2. The phone lines are impossible to get through.
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Aria Khan
Letter 12C is basically the IRS saying they need verification for items on your return before they can process your refund. The W2 is definitely the main document they're looking for, as it verifies your income and withholding amounts. For the "supporting documents" part, this usually means any other forms that substantiate income or credits you claimed. Since you mentioned unemployment, they probably want to see your 1099-G form that shows your unemployment compensation. If you claimed any tax credits like the Earned Income Credit, Child Tax Credit, or education credits, they might want documentation for those as well. I would recommend sending in: 1) Your W2 from your employer, 2) Your 1099-G for unemployment, and 3) A brief cover letter referencing your Letter 12C and listing what you're enclosing. Make sure to include your Social Security number and tax year on every page you send.
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Everett Tutum
•If I got a Letter 12C for my 2022 taxes, do I just send in copies of documents or the originals? And should I mail it or can I upload them somewhere online?
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Aria Khan
•Always send copies, never originals. The IRS doesn't return documents, and you want to keep your originals safe in case you need them again. For submission methods, you'll need to follow the instructions in your specific Letter 12C. Most commonly, you'll need to mail the documents to the address provided in the letter. Some Letter 12C notices do allow for online submission through the IRS portal, but this depends on your specific notice. Check the letter carefully for submission instructions.
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Sunny Wang
I went through something similar with a Letter 12C last year and seriously wanted to pull my hair out. After spending weeks trying to call the IRS with no luck, I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that actually helped me figure out exactly what documents I needed to send in. It basically analyzed my tax notice and explained in plain English what was missing and what I needed to do. For my Letter 12C, it turned out I needed not just my W2 but also proof of some education expenses I'd claimed. I wouldn't have known that without help and probably would've delayed my refund even longer.
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Hugh Intensity
•How does that work? Do you have to upload your tax documents to their site? Is it secure? I'm always wary of putting my tax info online.
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Effie Alexander
•I've seen a bunch of these "tax help" services pop up lately. Did it actually get you your refund faster or was it just telling you stuff you could figure out yourself?
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Sunny Wang
•You do upload the notice you received, but their system uses encryption and they have a whole privacy policy explaining how they protect your data. I was hesitant too but honestly was desperate after trying to decipher IRS language myself. It definitely saved me time because I was about to just send in my W2 alone, which would have resulted in another delay. The service pointed out specific lines in my Letter 12C that mentioned education credits verification (Form 8863) that I had completely missed. So for me, it prevented what would have been another round of IRS notices and delays.
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Effie Alexander
Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after my last comment and I'm actually impressed. I uploaded my Letter 12C and it immediately identified that I needed to send in not just my W2 but also documentation for a retirement contribution I made that affected my adjusted gross income. I totally would have missed that! Already got confirmation that my documents were received by the IRS, so now just waiting for my refund to (hopefully) be released soon.
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Melissa Lin
After dealing with Letter 12C issues for both 2019 and 2020 returns, I've learned the IRS phone lines are basically impossible. I wasted hours on hold just to get disconnected. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and it literally got me connected to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes. They have this demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to tell me exactly what documents they needed for my Letter 12C (in my case it was W2 plus proof of health insurance premiums). Saved me from sending in insufficient documentation that would have delayed my refund even more.
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Lydia Santiago
•Wait, how does that even work? The IRS phone lines are a disaster - are you saying this service somehow jumps the queue or something?
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Romeo Quest
•Sounds like a scam. Nobody can get through to the IRS faster than anyone else. They don't have special phone numbers or connections.
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Melissa Lin
•It doesn't jump any queue - it basically automates the calling process. It uses technology to dial repeatedly and navigate the phone tree until it gets through, then calls you when it has an agent on the line. It's basically doing what you'd do manually if you had hours to keep redialing. No special connections or inside tracks - just technology automating the frustrating part of trying to reach someone. It took about 15 minutes for me, but I've heard it can take longer during super busy times. Still beats spending hours doing it yourself.
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Romeo Quest
Ok I need to admit I was wrong. I was the skeptic who thought Claimyr sounded like a scam, but I was desperate after my third Letter 12C and decided to try it anyway. It actually worked! Took about 22 minutes (I timed it) and then I got a call connecting me to an IRS rep. The agent reviewed my case and told me specifically which supporting documents they needed - turned out they wanted verification of my IRA contribution form. Submitted everything last week and just got notice my refund is being processed now. Honestly wish I'd done this months ago.
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Val Rossi
Don't forget to make copies of EVERYTHING you send in. And use certified mail with tracking so you can prove they received it. I learned that lesson the hard way when the IRS claimed they never got my response to a Letter 12C, and I had no way to prove I sent it.
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Reginald Blackwell
•Thanks for the advice! I was just going to use regular mail but certified mail sounds much safer. Did you find they processed your refund quickly once they confirmed they had everything they needed?
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Val Rossi
•In my experience, it took about 4 weeks after they received all my documents. The first 3 weeks nothing seemed to happen, then suddenly my Where's My Refund status changed to approved. The key thing is keeping that certified mail receipt. When I called to check status (after waiting forever to get through), they could see in their system exactly when my documents were received because of the tracking number. Makes a huge difference if there's any dispute.
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Eve Freeman
Anyone know if it's better to respond to a Letter 12C online through the IRS portal or by mail? I have a similar situation and wondering what's faster.
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Clarissa Flair
•If your letter has an option for online response, DEFINITELY do that instead of mail. I responded to mine online through the IRS portal and had my refund within 2 weeks. My friend mailed hers in and was waiting for over 2 months.
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Eve Freeman
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check my letter carefully to see if there's an online option mentioned. I definitely want the faster route!
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Caden Turner
One additional thing to check - look at the tax year carefully. Sometimes people think the Letter 12C is for their current return when it's actually for a previous year. I made that mistake and sent in 2022 documents when they were asking about 2020, which caused even more delays.
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Sophia Long
Great advice from everyone here! Just wanted to add that if you're dealing with unemployment income like you mentioned, make sure you have your 1099-G form ready. The IRS often requests this for Letter 12C situations because unemployment compensation affects your adjusted gross income and tax liability. Also, since you mentioned getting all three stimulus payments, double-check that the amounts you reported on your return match what the IRS has on file. Sometimes there are discrepancies in their records about Economic Impact Payments that can trigger these verification requests. One more tip - if you claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit for any missing stimulus money, they'll definitely want documentation of what payments you actually received versus what you claimed. Keep records of any IRS letters you received about stimulus payments, as these can serve as supporting documentation. The 8+ month delay is unfortunately pretty common for these verification cases, but once you get them everything they need, it usually processes within 4-6 weeks. Hang in there!
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Ellie Kim
•This is really helpful, especially about the stimulus payment documentation! I think I might have made an error there. When I filed my 2020 return, I wasn't sure if I had received all three payments correctly, so I may have claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit when I shouldn't have. Do you know what kind of documentation they typically accept for proving stimulus payments received? I don't think I kept any of the IRS letters about the payments, and I'm worried that might be what's causing my delay. Would bank statements showing the deposits work as proof?
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