IRS Letter 4883C says the IRS received a federal income tax return filed under your Social Security number or individual tax identification number and needs you to verify your identity and the return. Call the Taxpayer Protection Program Hotline shown on your letter immediately; if you did not file a return for the tax year shown, tell the IRS immediately.
What to have in front of you
Have all of the following available when you call:
- Your Letter 4883C.
- The Form 1040-series tax return referenced in the letter.
- A prior-year tax return, for a year other than the one in the letter, if you filed one and have it available.
- Supporting documents for each year’s return you filed, such as Form W-2, Form 1099, Schedule C or Schedule F.
Forms W-2 and 1099 are supporting documents. They are not tax returns.
Why the IRS sent the letter
The IRS says it received a Form 1040-series federal income tax return filed under your Social Security number, or SSN, or your individual tax identification number, or ITIN.
The IRS asks you to verify both your identity and the tax return to protect you from identity theft. It needs to hear from you before it can continue processing the return.
Follow the instructions in your letter and provide all the information it asks for. If you received Letter 4883C, the IRS says not to file Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit.
How to respond
Call the Taxpayer Protection Program Hotline using the number printed on your Letter 4883C. Have the letter, the returns and the supporting documents listed above available when you call.
The hotline is for identity and tax return verification only. The IRS says other tax-related information, including refund status, is not available through this hotline.
If you can’t find what you need online, you can also call the telephone number on your notice or letter. You may request a copy of your notice or letter in Braille or large print.
If you did not file a return
If you did not file a tax return for the tax year shown on the letter, let the IRS know immediately. The IRS says someone may have filed a fraudulent return using your name and SSN or ITIN.
Use the hotline number printed on your letter and follow the letter’s instructions. Have the documents listed above available when you call.
If you cannot verify by phone
The IRS says it will ask you to schedule an appointment at your local IRS office. Bring the documents listed above to verify in person.
If you are incarcerated, the IRS says you must coordinate with your prison official.
If someone is helping you
An authorized third party can represent you and call the IRS on your behalf. The IRS must have a completed Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, on file for that representative. The IRS encourages you to be available with your authorized representative to help verify your identity.
If you want someone else to assist you on the call and have not used Form 2848, you and that person must call the IRS together. You must participate in the call.
If you are acting as a fiduciary for an individual, a descendant’s estate or a trust, the IRS says to complete and send Form 56, Notice Concerning Fiduciary Relationship.
What happens next
Until the IRS hears from you, it says it cannot process the tax return, issue refunds or credit any overpayments to your account.
After you successfully verify, the IRS says it will process the return. It may take up to 9 weeks to receive a refund or have an overpayment credited to your account. If the IRS finds other problems, it will contact you again, and that may delay a refund.
For more information about protecting your identity, the IRS lists Publication 5027, Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers, and Identity Theft Central. The IRS also says an Identity Protection PIN can help prevent misuse of your taxpayer identification number on fraudulent federal income tax returns.
Other places to get information
You may be eligible for free help from the Taxpayer Advocate Service. You can also see whether you qualify for help from a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic.
For more information about taxpayer rights, the IRS lists Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer. If you want to review your letter, you can paste it into the Clarify Help box on the home page.
Where this comes from
IRS Letter 4883C.