Transcript Codes 570 and 971 with No Dollar Amounts - What Does This Mean?

Those codes typically indicate that your return is under review, but it's probably not something serious if there are no dollar amounts attached. The 570 code generally means a temporary hold on your refund, while the 971 usually indicates that a notice is being generated and will likely be mailed to you within the next 5-7 business days. In many cases, this is just part of the normal verification process, especially during the busy part of tax season when the IRS is implementing additional fraud prevention measures.

I had this exact situation last month. According to IRM 21.5.6.4.35.1, the 570 code without amounts often indicates a review that doesn't impact your refund amount. My 971 appeared exactly 7 days after the 570, also with zero dollars. I received a generic letter asking me to verify that I filed a return (CP05 notice) about 10 days later. I didn't need to do anything, and my refund was released 14 days after that with a 571 code (hold released). The frustrating part was that different IRS representatives gave completely different explanations when I called.

I went through this in March. These codes with no dollar amounts usually mean your return is in a verification queue. I got tired of checking WMR every day and decided to call the IRS directly. Used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in about 30 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. The agent confirmed it was just a random review and my refund was processed a week later. Such a relief to actually speak with someone who could see what was happening with my return instead of guessing based on codes.

From a systematic perspective, what you're experiencing is part of the IRS's Automated Questionable Credit (AQC) program or Return Integrity Verification Operations (RIVO). The Transaction Code 570 without monetary impact indicates a programmatic hold, while the subsequent 971 is the system's automated response to generate correspondence. The absence of monetary adjustment suggests this is merely procedural rather than an actual discrepancy in your filing. Current IRS processing parameters have increased verification thresholds due to elevated fraud prevention protocols in the 2024 filing season.

Watch out for what happens next! I had the same codes (570/971 with $0) back in February, and thought it was no big deal... until I got a CP05 letter asking for documentation to verify income and withholding. The letter arrived almost 3 weeks after the 971 code appeared (USPS doing its thing, lol). Had to mail in my W-2s and paystubs, then wait another 60 days. The real kicker? My friend had identical codes and never got any notice at all - his refund just processed normally after a 2-week delay. The IRS works in mysterious ways! 🔮

Just adding some additional info that might help. These codes without $ amounts often mean one of these things: 1. Random review (most common) 2. Income verification 3. Credit eligibility check 4. Math error that balanced out 5. Identity verification flag that hasn't fully processed FYI - the IRS is currently taking an avg of 21 days to process these types of holds. If you don't get a notice in the next week or so, check your tax transcript again for updates. The 570 might change to 571 (release of hold) without any notice at all.