# So I got a letter from the IRS . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 12, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544 "2004-04-12T02:11:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Green\_Eyed\_Stranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Green\_Eyed\_Stranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Eyed_Stranger)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544/1 "2004-04-12T02:11:07Z")
After I unpuckered (is that a word? Doesn’t matter, when dealing with the IRS, I believe that you get to make up wholly appropriate words as needed), and read it, it turns out that they were patting themselves on the back for finding an extra $200 for me, since I had done the child tax credit calculation wrong (I thought the credit was $1000, and I got $600 last summer, thus leaving $400, evidently the credit is $1200? I haven’t looked it up yet). So it was just a “courtesy” letter informing me that they had made the changes and adjusted my return accordingly. Great. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to have the $200, but I think I would have preferred to remain off the IRS radar. From here on out, I’ve got to believe that my returns are now flagged for extra special attention. \ “Well, now Mr. Stranger, I’ll apologize in advance, but you see our budget was short, ah let’s see, yes, short $200, so we couldn’t afford any petroleum jelly products.” But on the bright side, it wasn’t an audit. Take care, GES P.S. Anyone want to enable my laziness and tell me what the child tax credit is? Is it indeed $1200? ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544/2 "2004-04-12T02:58:41Z")
Nahh, you won’t be on their radar for that mistake. The mistake you made is basically a “math” mistake, they get zillions of those, they “fix” them, and that’s that. Now, if you claimed $70,000.00 in travel expenses to Hawaii, then yeah, cover your butt because they will be showing interest in that area of your anatomy very soon, and repeatedly. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BarBQSauce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@BarBQSauce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarBQSauce)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544/3 "2004-04-12T03:39:27Z")
[http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=120026,00.html](http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=120026,00.html) Nope, child tax credit is $1,000. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Eyed\_Stranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Green\_Eyed\_Stranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Eyed_Stranger)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544/4 "2004-04-12T04:20:48Z")
> [@BarBQSauce](#): > > [http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=120026,00.html](http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=120026,00.html) > Nope, child tax credit is $1,000. Thanks for the link. I think what happened was that I got a $400 check not $600. I don’t know why I thought I got a $600 check, and I don’t remember seeing the form that the site says I should have got that told me how much my advance was. > [@ccwaterback](#): > > ``` > Nahh, you won't be on their radar for that mistake. The mistake you made is basically a "math" mistake, they get zillions of those, they "fix" them, and that's that. Now, if you claimed $70,000.00 in travel expenses to Hawaii, then yeah, cover your butt because they will be showing interest in that area of your anatomy very soon, and repeatedly. > > ``` You’re probably right about the math errors, so I feel a little less uneasy now. (Of course if my wife had her way, we **would** have $70,000 in travel expenses 😛 ) GES ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544/5 "2004-04-12T14:48:45Z")
Ardred got one of those letters. His was thick. I freaked out. He opens it and it seems that the IRS finally figured out that they were spelling his last name wrong (for three years) and want him to resubmit his taxes. He tried to change his name but it never took. I just knew he was getting audited and that this would somehow muck up his chances at his bankruptcy proceedings going smoothly. ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs/239544/6 "2004-04-12T16:29:46Z")
You may have been thinking about the $600 checks that were mailed out to some taxpayers two or three years ago. You can go to [irs.gov](http://irs.gov), enter your SS# and see the amount of the check you got last summer. We didn’t get the check last summer because the irs thought we wouldn’t qualify, but it turns out we did, so it is a nice little $400 credit on our return this year.