The CP11 letter arrives in the mail. You open it up and see the words “We made changes to your return because we believe there is a miscalculation. You owe money on your taxes as a result of these changes.” Yep, this is going to be a great day.
Usually, these notices are vague. They typically list various reasons which might be the cause of the change. Perhaps it’s an invalid social security number, or maybe it was a limit based on AGI. You get to take your best guess as to which of these reasons applies to you. This can lead some people to put off responding and that is a very big mistake.
CP11 notices are considered to be a “Math Error” procedure by the IRS and not an audit. This is an important distinction. In an audit, you have the opportunity to contest a tax assessment. A Math Error, on the other hand, will get you an immediate assessment if you do not contest it within the 60-day time period. This means IRS Collections will begin immediately.
You can contest the change by calling the IRS. Lots of luck with that approach given that you will be on hold for hours. The better way is to write up your response as to why the original return is correct and mail it certified to the IRS. Do not expect a quick response from the IRS. You will have plenty of time to gather documents to support your position.
For more information, here is a link to a Taxpayer Advocate Service blog
