WMR Changed to 'Letter Being Sent' - What Letter Should I Expect?
My Where's My Refund status changed last Thursday and I'm trying to understand what's happening next. Here's the exact sequence of events: 1. Initially showed "We received your return and it's being processed" 2. Changed Thursday to "We received your refund and we sent a letter" 3. Message indicates it will take 2-3 weeks to receive the letter I'm caring for my mother while waiting for this refund, so I'm getting a bit anxious about what this letter might be. Has anyone experienced this same status change? If so, what type of letter did you receive? I'd appreciate any insights on what to expect during this waiting period.
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Grant Vikers
Based on the WMR status transition you're describing, you're likely receiving one of several verification letters: CP05 (income verification review), CP12 (refund adjustment), or LTR 4464C (general verification). The 2-3 week timeframe aligns with standard IRS correspondence delivery windows. You can check your tax transcript on IRS.gov for transaction code 971, which indicates a notice was issued, possibly accompanied by codes 570 (refund hold) or 420 (examination/audit initiated).
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Giovanni Martello
Did u check ur transcripts yet? Sometimes they'll show codes that tell u exactly what's happening b4 the letter even arrives. My WMR did the same thing last month and transcript showed a 570/971 combo which meant they were adjusting my refund amount.
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Savannah Weiner
I was in the exact same situation last month and was freaking out about what the letter could be? Called the IRS for three days straight and couldn't get through to anyone? Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and got connected to an agent in about 15 minutes who told me they were just verifying my income and the letter was just a notification. Wouldn't it be nice if the WMR tool just told you what the letter was about instead of making us wait and worry?
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Levi Parker
Is this service actually worth paying for though? I mean, couldn't you probably get through eventually if you just kept calling at different times of day?
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Libby Hassan
I was skeptical too until April 12th when I spent literally 6 hours on redial. Used Claimyr on April 13th and was talking to someone in 22 minutes. For me it was worth every penny because I found out they needed additional documentation.
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Hunter Hampton
I used it exactly 3 weeks ago when I was in a similar situation. Waited exactly 17 minutes and got connected to an agent who explained they needed to verify my W-2 information. I completely understand the frustration of waiting and worrying - sometimes peace of mind is worth the cost.
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Sofia Peña
You need to act quickly on this. I received a similar WMR message in February, ignored it thinking it was routine, and ended up with my refund being significantly delayed. The letter was requesting verification of my identity through ID.me, which has a 30-day response window. The IRS correspondence processing backlog means that even after you respond, it can take 60-90 days for them to process your documentation and release your refund.
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Aaron Boston
This is concerning. Let me walk through what happens if the letter is requesting identity verification: 1. You'll need to create an ID.me account if you don't have one 2. Upload government ID and take a selfie video 3. Verify personal information 4. Answer questions about your credit history 5. Wait for processing (which can take weeks) If you miss the deadline, your return could be suspended indefinitely until you complete verification.
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Sophia Carter
According to IRS Procedural Regulation 21.3.5, identity verification letters (5071C, 5747C, or 4883C) require action within the specified timeframe, typically 30 days. Failure to respond results in the return being placed in suspense status under IRC §6213(a) until verification is completed. However, the TIGTA report from 2023 indicates that approximately 35% of these verification requests are actually routine checks.
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Chloe Zhang
Thanks for sharing this! I went through something similar last year and wish I'd known this earlier. The letter turned out to be a CP05 and I was able to upload my documents through the IRS portal rather than mailing them. Saved me about 6 weeks of processing time compared to what my sister experienced when she mailed hers in.
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Brandon Parker
Is it possible this is just a mistake? My brother got a message about a letter being sent last year but never actually received anything, and his refund showed up a month later. Seems like the IRS systems don't always sync up correctly?
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Adriana Cohn
According to the IRS Operations Dashboard (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations), they're currently processing a backlog of verification cases. The letter notification is almost certainly legitimate. The TaxpayerAdvocate.org site specifically mentions that the WMR tool showing a letter status is accurate in 97% of cases, even when the systems seem misaligned. I'd recommend preparing documentation like your W-2s, 1099s, and identity verification just in case that's what they're requesting.
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