IRS NOTICE REFERENCE
Letter 5071C
CP 5071 series notices, Potential Identity Theft During Original Processing with Online Option, are mailed to taxpayers to notify them that the IRS received an income tax return using your name, Social Security number (S…
General information only. Not legal or tax advice.
Notice details
- Notice code
- Letter 5071-C
- Category
- Identity verification
- Severity tier
- Tier 2 — Action or response expected. The IRS has taken or proposed an action and expects a response or payment.
- Governing law
- §6109 (Internal Revenue Code section)
- Source
- IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service
What this notice is
CP 5071 series notices, Potential Identity Theft During Original Processing with Online Option, are mailed to taxpayers to notify them that the IRS received an income tax return using your name, Social Security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). There are two versions of this letter, either version is accurate. One version includes a QR code and updated format. The format update doesn’t change the process to resolve your account.
Source: IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service. Reproduced for reference. General information — not legal or tax advice.
What the IRS says to do
The first thing to do is to check the return address to be sure it’s from the Internal Revenue Service and not another agency. Go to Identity and Tax Return Verification Service to verify your identity and the tax return. You must let the IRS know if you did or didn’t file a tax return. It’s quick, secure, and available 24 hours a day. New IRS online users must create an account. You will need your valid government-issued photo ID (examples driver’s license, state ID, passport, passport card). Existing IRS online users sign in with your username and password. If you have trouble signing in, check the frequently asked questions . After signing in, you’ll then answer questions about the tax re
This is the IRS’s own guidance reproduced from the IRS notice page. It describes the IRS’s process — it is not legal or tax advice from TaxRiskOS.
Official IRS reference
Read the official notice page on IRS.gov: https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/notices/letter-5071-c/
Related tools
TaxRiskOS is workflow software for practitioners — it captures the notice, computes the deadline, surfaces the escalation tier, and builds a document checklist. It documents process; it does not give advice or draft responses.
Check this notice’s deadline (free tool)