IRS notice guide · Individuals
Letter 5071C: Verify your identity
The IRS is holding a return filed under your name until you confirm you filed it.
Act within days
What it means
The IRS stopped a return because it may be identity theft. The return will not be processed, and no refund issued, until you verify your identity and tell the IRS whether you filed it.
Real letters arrive by mail. The IRS does not start contact by email, text or social media.
How long you have. Verify as soon as you can. The return and any refund wait until you do.
What to do now
- Check the letter is real: it names the letter number and lists idverify.irs.gov. Type that address yourself rather than following a link from an email or text.
- Have the letter, your prior year return and the return in question ready.
- Verify online at idverify.irs.gov (through ID.me) or by phone at the number printed on the letter.
- If you did not file the return, say so. The IRS will remove it and guide you through identity theft steps. Tell us so we can protect next year's filing.
Common mistakes
- Calling a phone number from an unexpected text or email.
- Ignoring the letter. A real return stays frozen until you verify.
Questions
Should I get an Identity Protection PIN?
Usually yes. An IP PIN from your IRS online account blocks anyone else from filing under your Social Security number.
Can Coastal Tax handle this notice for me?
Yes. Paige Fernald is an Enrolled Agent, so with your signed Form 2848 she can speak to the IRS for you, pull your transcripts and answer the notice.
Checked against the agency's own guidance on October 27, 2026: www.irs.gov. This page is general information. Your notice's own dates and instructions come first.