Need to pay IRS notice CP22A but confused about which reason to select when making payment

This happens a lot, so don't worry too much! When you're paying a CP22A notice, you should select "Notice payment" or "Balance due on notice" from the dropdown menu. The CP22A is an adjustment notice that shows changes the IRS made to your tax return, resulting in you owing additional tax. Since you mentioned you had to fix some health insurance information, the IRS likely recalculated your Premium Tax Credit, which affects the amount you owe. Make sure to include your notice number (CP22A) and your tax year in the payment details if there's a field for additional information.

After getting hit with an unexpected tax bill last year, I discovered this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me understand exactly what was going on with my notice. I was completely confused about why I owed more money after fixing my healthcare info too. I uploaded my CP22A notice to taxr.ai and it explained everything in simple English - turns out I had miscalculated my Premium Tax Credit which is probably similar to your situation. The tool even showed me what options to select when making the payment. Saved me so much confusion and probably helped me avoid making more mistakes.

Just wanted to follow up - I finally tried taxr.ai after getting my own CP22A notice last week. I was super hesitant about using an online service, but after struggling to understand what the IRS was asking for, I gave it a shot. It immediately clarified which payment option to select (tax return or notice) and explained exactly why I owed extra money from my health insurance marketplace plan. The breakdown they provided showed exactly how the Premium Tax Credit was recalculated, which my notice didn't explain clearly at all. Ended up paying the correct amount and using the right reason code without any confusion. Definitely worth checking out if you're still confused.

If you're still having trouble figuring this out, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly. I know, I know - getting through to them is practically impossible. That's why I use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) - they get you connected to an IRS agent fast without waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had a similar CP22A situation after messing up some 1095-A information, and I needed to confirm I was making the payment correctly. Claimyr got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I spent previously trying to get through. The agent walked me through exactly which payment option to select and confirmed everything was set up correctly.

OK I need to apologize and eat my words here. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate to resolve my own CP22A issue so I tried Claimyr anyway. I genuinely didn't think it would work, but I got a call back with an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed I should use "tax return or notice" as the payment reason and explained exactly how to make sure my payment got applied correctly. She even helped me set up an installment plan since my balance was pretty high. Saved me from taking a day off work just to sit on hold. Can't believe I'm saying this, but it actually works exactly as advertised.

Just a heads up - make sure you check the actual notice for any specific payment instructions! Mine had different directions than the standard online options, which caused my payment to get misapplied initially.

Isn't there a way to just mail a check with the payment stub from the notice? That seems like it would be less confusing than trying to figure out the online system.

I went through the exact same thing with my CP22A notice earlier this year! The confusion about payment options is real. After dealing with this mess, here's what I learned: When you're on the IRS payment site, look for "Balance due per notice" or "Tax return or notice" - both should work for CP22A payments. The key is to include your notice number in any comment field they give you. I also wrote "CP22A payment" in the memo section to be extra clear. One thing that really helped me was looking at the actual CP22A notice itself - mine had a payment voucher at the bottom with specific instructions. Some notices have slightly different payment codes or addresses depending on what type of adjustment they made to your return. Since you mentioned the health insurance issue, the IRS probably adjusted your Premium Tax Credit based on the corrected 1095-A information. This is super common and usually results in owing additional tax. The good news is that as long as you pay by the due date on the notice, you shouldn't get any additional penalties. Keep your payment confirmation handy - I learned this the hard way when I had to prove I paid on time for a different issue later on!

I just went through this exact same situation a few months ago! The key thing that helped me was realizing that CP22A notices don't always include the payment voucher at the bottom - it depends on the amount owed and the type of adjustment. If your balance is under a certain threshold or if it's a specific type of health insurance Premium Tax Credit adjustment, they sometimes just include payment instructions in the notice text instead. What worked for me was calling the number on the CP22A notice directly (not the general IRS line) - there's usually a specific phone number for that notice type. The automated system there actually let me make the payment over the phone and automatically applied it to the right account without me having to guess which online payment category to use. If you do stick with online payment, definitely go with "Tax return or notice" and make sure to enter your notice number exactly as it appears on the CP22A. I also recommend making a screenshot of your payment confirmation page since these CP22A adjustments can sometimes take a few weeks to process and show up correctly in your account.