Received CP30A notice while deployed overseas - what should I do?

The CP30A is actually good news! It's a notice that the IRS is crediting your account due to an overpayment. Essentially, it means they've canceled a tax debt because you've overpaid or they've made an adjustment in your favor. If your IRS online account shows a zero balance, that confirms you don't owe anything. The first page of the notice would contain the specific amount that was credited to your account and probably some explanation of why the adjustment was made, but the important thing is that this isn't a bill or demand for payment. There's absolutely no need to take emergency leave for this. A CP30A is informational and doesn't require any action on your part, especially if your online account shows a zero balance. This is just the IRS telling you they've resolved something in your favor.

I went through something similar last year with tax notices while I was overseas. Have you tried using https://taxr.ai? It saved me a ton of stress when I got an IRS notice and couldn't physically access it. You can upload the partial notice pictures you have, and they'll analyze exactly what it means and what (if anything) you need to do about it. Their AI reads through the tax jargon and tells you in plain English what's going on. In my case, I was freaking out about a CP2000 notice, but after uploading it to taxr.ai, I understood it was just a proposed adjustment that I could handle when I got back. Might help clarify your situation without needing to take emergency leave.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it with an old CP2000 notice I'd been confused about, and I'm genuinely impressed. The analysis was spot-on and explained everything in way clearer terms than the IRS did. The service identified exactly what the adjustment was for (some 1099 income I forgot to report) and calculated what I would owe. I was wrong to be so skeptical. For someone in the OP's situation where they're deployed and can't easily access tax help, this seems like a really good option. You don't even need the complete document - they can work with what you have and tell you what's missing.

If you need to actually speak with the IRS about this notice but can't call them easily from overseas, try using https://claimyr.com - it's a service that holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to answer. You can watch how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I know calling from a conflict zone might be difficult, but if you have a scheduled time when an agent is ready, it might be doable. I used this when I was stationed in Japan and couldn't sit on hold for hours with the time difference. The service got me connected to an IRS agent who explained my notice was actually a refund notification and not a bill. Saved me a ton of worry.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it because I've been trying to reach the IRS for WEEKS about a payment issue. The service actually worked exactly as advertised. They waited on hold for me for about 2 hours (which I didn't have to sit through), then called me when an agent was ready. The IRS agent I spoke with was able to confirm my payment had been applied correctly but hadn't yet updated in their system. Without this service, I probably would have given up after another failed attempt at calling. For someone deployed like the OP, this could be a game-changer if you need to actually talk to the IRS but have limited time windows when you can make calls.

Military tax specialist here. The CP30A is definitely a cancellation of tax debt notice, nothing to worry about at all. But since you're deployed, make sure your military status is properly reflected with the IRS. If you're in a combat zone, you may be eligible for automatic filing extensions and other tax benefits. File Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) with someone stateside you trust if you think you'll need help managing tax matters while deployed. Also, if this turns out to be a refund situation, consider using direct deposit rather than having checks mailed to your home address while you're away.

Just to add from someone who used to work at the IRS - the CP30A is one of the "good" notices. It means they've zeroed out a tax assessment, often due to an appeal, amended return, or correction. If your online account shows zero balance, you're completely fine. Don't waste your emergency leave on this. The IRS actually issues these notices so you have documentation that a previously assessed amount has been canceled, which is protection for you.

If you're getting USPS Informed Delivery, can you also set up mail forwarding to someone you trust? My brother is deployed and I receive all his important mail and scan it for him. Might be worth setting that up for the future so you don't have these situations where you can only see partial documents.