Need to see what an IRS Identity Verification Letter (5071C) actually looks like before responding

Tax professional here. The Letter 5071C is a legitimate IRS identity verification letter. It's sent when the IRS suspects potential identity theft related to a filed return. The letter will have the official IRS letterhead, your name, and specific information about your tax return. To verify it's legitimate: 1. Check that it has the official IRS logo and Treasury Department seal 2. Verify the letter asks you to visit idverify.irs.gov specifically (not a similar-looking URL) 3. The letter should reference your specific tax year and include the last 4 digits of your SSN 4. The IRS contact number for identity verification is 800-830-5084 DO NOT call any number that differs from the official IRS number. If you're uncertain, you can always call the main IRS customer service line (800-829-1040) to confirm the letter is legitimate. Regarding the different address - the IRS does use different addresses for different departments, so that alone isn't a red flag.

I wish someone would have told me about taxr.ai when I got my 5071C letter last year. It would have saved me hours of stress! I was in the same boat - super paranoid it might be a scam. The tool analyzes your IRS letters and explains exactly what they mean and what you need to do. It confirmed my letter was legit and walked me through exactly what information I needed to have ready for the verification process. https://taxr.ai seriously changed my whole tax experience.

After getting the same letter, I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS with no luck. The verification hotline kept disconnecting me. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me a callback from an actual IRS agent within a couple hours. The agent confirmed my letter was legit and helped me complete the verification over the phone instead of the website. Best money I've ever spent considering I was about to lose my mind on hold music. My refund was processed 10 days after verification.

Here's what mine looked like when I got it: official IRS letterhead at the top, my name/address, and it had specific info about my return (tax year and the last 4 of my SSN). It listed the website idverify.irs.gov and had a barcode in the top right corner. It also stated I had 30 days to respond. Hope that helps!

The IRS identity verification is a total nightmare!! I got that letter in April and completed the online verification immediately. It's now June and my refund is STILL being held. When I call they just say "it's still being processed" 🤬 Be prepared to wait forever even after you verify.

DEFINITELY a real thing. I got one last year. Be careful though, there are scammers who send fake versions of these letters! Never call a number that's not the official IRS number (800-830-5084) and always go directly to idverify.irs.gov by typing it in your browser (don't click links in emails).

I'd be happy to show you mine but I'm not sure how to upload a photo in the comments here? Maybe I can DM you.

Protip: when you do the verification online, make sure you have your previous year's tax return with you. They'll ask specific questions about the exact amount you reported on certain lines to verify it's really you. Also have your credit info handy (mortgage/loan account numbers, etc). I failed my first attempt because I didn't have this info ready.

the whole identity verification thing is just another way for the IRS to delay giving u ur money 🤡 they make everyone jump through hoops while they sit on billions in unpaid refunds. theyre hoping people give up tbh

I went through this exact same situation last year! The 5071C letter is definitely legitimate - I was paranoid about it being a scam too. Here are the key things that confirmed mine was real: official IRS letterhead with the Treasury Department seal, my correct name/address, reference to the specific tax year (2023 in your case), and the official idverify.irs.gov website listed (not some suspicious lookalike URL). The Fresno address others mentioned is correct - that's one of their main processing centers. When you do the online verification, have your 2022 tax return handy because they'll ask specific questions about amounts you reported. They also ask credit-related questions like previous addresses and loan info to verify your identity. The whole process took me about 20 minutes once I had all my documents ready. One tip: if the online verification doesn't work for any reason, you can call 800-830-5084 (the number should match what's on your letter). My refund was processed about 2-3 weeks after I completed verification. Good luck!

I went through this same verification process about 6 months ago and completely understand your concern about scams! Here's what helped me feel confident it was legitimate: The real Letter 5071C will have: - Official IRS letterhead with the Department of Treasury seal - Your correct name, address, and the last 4 digits of your SSN - Reference to your specific tax year (2023) and filing status - The exact website: idverify.irs.gov (no variations) - Phone number 800-830-5084 for the Identity Protection Specialized Unit The verification process itself asks questions only you would know - things from your previous year's tax return (specific line amounts) and credit report information like previous addresses, loan details, etc. It took me about 15 minutes once I had my 2022 return and ID ready. If you're still unsure about the letter's authenticity, you can call the main IRS line at 800-829-1040 and ask them to confirm whether they sent you a 5071C letter. They can verify it without you having to give any sensitive info to a potentially fake number. My refund was released about 3 weeks after I completed the verification, so there is light at the end of the tunnel!

I got the exact same letter about 3 months ago and totally understand your paranoia - my first instinct was that it had to be a scam too! But it turned out to be completely legitimate. Here's what helped me verify mine was real: The letter had the official IRS letterhead with Treasury Department seal, referenced my specific 2023 tax return, showed the last 4 digits of my SSN, and directed me to idverify.irs.gov (exactly that URL - no variations). The phone number matched what others have mentioned: 800-830-5084. When I did the online verification, they asked very specific questions about my 2022 tax return (exact amounts from certain lines) and credit-related info like previous addresses and account details. It was actually pretty straightforward once I had my documents ready - took about 25 minutes total. The Fresno address you mentioned is definitely legitimate - that's one of their main processing centers. If you're still worried, you can always call the main IRS customer service line at 800-829-1040 first to confirm they actually sent you a 5071C letter before proceeding with verification. My refund was released exactly 21 days after I completed the verification process. Hang in there - it's stressful but totally worth getting through!