On the paper
Read which verification method your letter names, and gather the letter, the return it refers to, the prior year return, and the supporting forms for both.
The method is the whole difference between these three letters, and it is printed on the paper rather than implied by the code. One sends you online, one sends you to a telephone line, and one sends you to an office in person. Using a method your letter did not name generally does not verify anything.
Find the date printed on your notice or letter. The paper notice and the current official IRS instructions control, even where this page differs.
Letter 5071C
The IRS page for the 5071C series, checked September 10, 2026, says to follow the instructions on the notice to verify your identity and the tax return, and that verification can be done online with the notice and your tax records available.
The page states no deadline and does not describe a consequence beyond the instruction to follow the notice. This is the version most people receive, and the online route is the one it is built around.
Letter 4883C
The IRS page for Letter 4883C, checked September 10, 2026, says to call the Taxpayer Protection Program hotline shown in the letter, with the letter, the return it refers to, the prior year return, and the supporting documents for both in front of you.
It states no number of days and says action is needed immediately. It also states the consequence plainly: until the IRS hears from you, it cannot process the return, issue a refund, or credit any overpayment to the account.
Letter 5747C
The IRS page for Letter 5747C, checked September 10, 2026, says to call the Taxpayer Assistance Center at the number on the letter to schedule an in-person appointment. Verification for this letter happens at an office, not online and not on a general telephone line.
The page states no deadline. It says the IRS cannot process the return, issue a refund, or credit an overpayment until you respond, and it notes that processing can take up to nine weeks after identity is verified.
One page for three letters
The three letters do the same job and differ in the channel. Keeping them together means the reader can see which one they hold and stop looking, rather than reading three near-identical pages to find out that the difference is a telephone number.
It also keeps the warning in one place. Identity verification is a favorite subject for impersonators, and a genuine letter of any of these three kinds directs you to the IRS through a route the IRS itself publishes.
Where this notice comes from
The Taxpayer Protection Program flags returns whose characteristics match patterns associated with identity theft, and the filter is deliberately cautious. Many flagged returns are legitimate.
If the return was not yours, the verification call or visit is also where that is reported, and the IRS has a separate process for the identity theft side of it.
Impersonation is a real risk here. The IRS does not begin an identity verification request by text message, email, or social media, and a genuine letter can always be checked against the IRS page describing that letter.
General next steps
- Confirm the letter is genuine by comparing it against the IRS description of the letter it names, and never verify through a link or number that arrived by text, email, or social media.
- Collect the documents the letter lists before you start, because every method asks for the same records.
- Follow the method your letter names, and keep a note of the date and the reference for what you did.
Timing
None of the three IRS pages states a period, and this page does not supply one. What each states is a consequence rather than a clock: the return is not processed, and no refund or credit issues, until the IRS hears from you. The date printed on the notice controls; do not calculate a deadline from this page.
What Letters 5071C, 4883C, and 5747C does not mean
These letters do not mean you are under investigation and they do not mean the IRS believes you did anything wrong. They also do not confirm that identity theft occurred. The IRS is asking whether the return filed in your name came from you, and the answer may simply be yes.
What this page cannot tell you
This page cannot verify your identity, confirm that a letter you received is genuine, or tell you when a held refund will be released.
Official sources
- Understanding your Letter 5071C or 6331C
- Understanding your Letter 4883C
- Understanding your Letter 5747C
- IRS identity theft central
If anything on this page differs from your notice or from current IRS instructions, follow the notice and the IRS.
Common questions
Which of the three letters did I get, and does it change what I do?
The code is printed on the letter and it changes the channel. 5071C points to online verification, 4883C to the Taxpayer Protection Program telephone line, and 5747C to an in-person appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center.
How do I know the letter is real?
Compare it against the IRS page for the letter it names, and use only the contact routes the IRS publishes. The IRS does not open an identity verification request by text message, email, or social media.
What if I did not file the return the letter describes?
Say so through the method the letter names. That response is also the entry point to the IRS process for a return filed by someone else in your name.
How long until the refund arrives after I verify?
The IRS page for Letter 5747C states that processing can take up to nine weeks after identity is verified. The other two pages do not state a processing time.