Verify Your Identity Before We Process Your Return (4883C / 5071C)

Why you might get this

• The IRS flagged your return for possible identity theft.
• Something about the return looked unusual compared to your history.
• A return was filed under your Social Security number and the IRS wants to be sure it was you.

The deadline

There's no legal deadline, but your refund is on hold until you verify, so it's best to respond promptly.

This notice doesn't carry a fixed response deadline, but it still deserves attention — see what to do below.

What to do

1. Gather last year's and this year's returns, plus supporting documents, before you start.
2. If you have a 5071C, verify online first through the IRS Identity Verification Service if you can.
3. If you have a 4883C, call the special phone number printed on the letter to verify by phone.
4. If you did NOT file the return in question, tell the IRS right away — this may be identity theft.

What happens if you ignore it

Your return won't be processed and any refund stays frozen until you verify. If it was identity theft, ignoring it can let a fraudulent refund go out in your name.

If you can't verify online or by phone, the IRS may ask you to verify in person at a local office. Confirmed identity theft moves to the IRS identity-theft process (Form 14039).

What the IRS 4883C and 5071C letters mean

A 4883C or 5071C letter means the IRS has paused your tax return because it needs to confirm your identity. A return was filed under your Social Security number, and before the IRS processes it or releases any refund, it wants to make sure the person who filed is really you. This is an anti-fraud safeguard, not an accusation.

The two letters differ mainly in how you respond. A 5071C usually lets you verify online through the IRS Identity Verification Service, which is the fastest route. A 4883C asks you to call a special phone number printed on the letter and verify by phone. Either way, have your prior-year and current-year returns and supporting documents in front of you before you begin, because you'll be asked questions only the real filer would know.

There's no strict legal deadline, but there's a practical one: your refund stays frozen until you verify. So sooner is better.

One scenario deserves special care. If you receive one of these letters but did not file the return it describes, that's a red flag for identity theft. Tell the IRS immediately rather than verifying, and be ready to file an identity-theft affidavit (Form 14039).

Solace can surface identity-verification letters the moment they appear and point you to the right way to respond, so a frozen refund gets moving and fraud gets caught early.