# Why would the IRS send me a certified letter? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 3, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205 "2013-08-03T00:31:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Freakin_Back_Is_Killing_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/1 "2013-08-03T00:31:13Z")
So, I come home today to find an orange slip that says I missed a certified letter. Upon closer inspection I see that the letter is from the IRS:eek::eek: The PO is closed now, so I have to wait until tomorrow morning to actually claim the letter. In the meantime, I am looking for some reassurance (begging for reassurance, actually) that something super awful isn’t lurking in that letter. I have tried looking for some information through google and everything I have read says that the IRS sends letters through regular mail before sending a certified letter out and also that certified letters are for collections. But I haven’t received any other correspondence from them up until this point. Also, I filed a tax return this past February and owed them a measly $16.00, which I verified was deducted from my account. I guess this could be regarding a past year’s return. I am so anxious right now. Anyone have any experience with this? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/2 "2013-08-03T01:21:40Z")
[Answer to a similar question](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130331130833AAmlqcN) > [@](#): > > A certified letter is not the IRS start point. Whatever you have been ignoring in the past has now got to the point where you have to deal with it or it is guaranteed that bad things are going to happen to you. > > IRS sends certified mail to tell you that your audit has ended up with you owing money and you have to either go to Tax Court within 90 days or your are going to get a bill OR you have a delinquent tax liability and if you don’t promptly pay it or make other arrangement that are satisfactory to IRS it is going to collect the account by levy on your assets. > > Source(s): > > I am an enrolled agent, licensed by the Treasury Department to represent taxpayers the same as attorneys and CPAs. I specialize in representing taxpayers who owe a lot of back tax or unfiled returns. Your big mess is my ordinary day at the office. If you want additional help you can send email through my profile. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/3 "2013-08-03T01:22:00Z")
At least they aren’t knocking on your door. Good luck, maybe it’s nothing. ---
**Author:** ![My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Freakin_Back_Is_Killing_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/4 "2013-08-03T01:24:04Z")
Oh gosh, that is not good, **astro**. Except, I haven’t been ignoring any correspondence from them. I am getting really scared now. Fuck, fuck, fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/5 "2013-08-03T01:37:19Z")
> [@My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](#): > > Oh gosh, that is not good, **astro**. Except, I haven’t been ignoring any correspondence from them. I am getting really scared now. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I got a certified letter from the IRS once that said I made a mistake on one of my returns and they corrected it for me. I have no idea why it was certified. Don’t go overboard until you see it. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/6 "2013-08-03T01:48:40Z")
If your returns are fairly straightforward it may just be some deduction they have not allowed and you owe a bit more tax. Do you do your taxes yourself or do you have an accountant? They probably want money but it could be just a modest amount. On the PITA end of the spectrum some returns will simply be randomly flagged for an audit just as a system check. The whys and wherefores of what makes this happen are not 100% clear in many cases. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/7 "2013-08-03T01:57:10Z")
I’m with **Fuzzy Dunlop** on this one. Don’t lose any sleep over it, it sounds like you’ve got your ‘ducks in a row’, and all that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Freakin_Back_Is_Killing_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/8 "2013-08-03T02:00:16Z")
Thanks for the good luck, **TriPolar** **Fuzzy Dunlop** , I am hoping it is a small error of some sort. Thanks for the reassurance. **astro** - I am young, I am single, no assets, retirement funds, I rent, so no home. I don’t think I have anything but standard deductions. I use a 1040EZ. I do my taxes myself. I owed some money this year according to my calculations, but I paid it. I am not a high earner or anything. I am so nervous. I have no idea what could be going on. And everything I’ve read says the IRS uses certified mail as a last resort to contact you, but I have NEVER received anything from the IRS and have been living at this address for 3 years and have filed taxes here. ETA: Thank you **JBDivmstr** I so hope you are right on this 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/9 "2013-08-03T02:19:09Z")
[There also this](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080420163731AAJlHOJ). Apparently they will send a cert letter even for minor amounts. If your scenario is as straightforward as you indicate the chances of it being anything serious are very low. > [@](#): > > For some reason IRS thinks that you owe money. It could be as little as 2 bucks. They will always send it certified. The computer just does it. Just go get it and see what it says. They might not agree with your taxes or they are saying you owe us 50 bucks. It will always come certified. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/10 "2013-08-03T02:23:29Z")
I had the same missed mail notice one day, scared the bejeesus out of me until I could get to the PO the next day. The IRS was challenging a small stock option I had exercised. Turns out my company had not coded it correctly, and they the IRS thought I had not paid the appropriate tax. I had paid, and a single phone call and faxed copy of something cleared it up. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/11 "2013-08-03T04:17:54Z")
_You May Already Have Won - SEE INSIDE!_ ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/12 "2013-08-03T13:45:33Z")
When the IRS said I owed another $2000 for last year’s taxes thanks to a missing 1099-R, all of the correspondence from the original notice on down to acceptance of a payment plan was via normal mail. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/13 "2013-08-03T14:56:58Z")
I owed some taxes from a few years ago and had to make a payment plan with the IRS, which involved a ridiculous amount of paper, sent to me in almost a dozen letters through regular mail. When I finally got a payment plan approved and set up, 2 months later I received a certified letter notice, that I had to drive a half hour to the post office to pick up, and it was a certified, 1 page letter from the IRS saying simply that the payment plan was set up. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/14 "2013-08-03T15:25:26Z")
**My Freakin’ Back Is Killing Me** –if you have a common first/last name combo, it could be a screw-up. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/15 "2013-08-03T16:13:02Z")
::tapping foot, waiting for OP to get back from the post office:: ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/16 "2013-08-03T17:40:05Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > ::tapping foot, waiting for OP to get back from the post office:: Me too. Don’t know the OP at all but my curiosity has been poked. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/17 "2013-08-03T17:45:04Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > ::tapping foot, waiting for OP to get back from the post office:: Welp, looks like the OP’s in jail. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/18 "2013-08-03T23:28:43Z")
Maybe it was one of those Inspector Gadget exploding letters. Poor OP ☹ ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/19 "2013-08-04T02:49:57Z")
Maybe the “IRS” on the notice actually meant the Iowa Racquetball School and the OP is now on the way to a new sports teaching gig in the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205/20 "2013-08-04T03:19:12Z")
Maybe it’s just that the OP’s back is acting up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-the-irs-send-me-a-certified-letter/665205.md?page=2)