Why did I receive this notice?
The first thing you should know about Notice
CP 14 is that it isn't a math error notice.
It just shows you the amount of underpaid
tax according to our records. The middle
section of the notice shows the tax you
reported on the return, the credits we
applied, and the underpayment.
What do I need to do?
Check the list of payments we applied to
your account. Many times, a misapplied
payment is the reason for the balance due.
If that's the case, or if the amount of your
payment differs from the one we show, you'll
need to give us information about the
payment so we can look for it. Once we find
the payment and apply it, we'll remove or
reduce any penalties and interest caused by
the underpayment.
If the payments shown in your records
agree with the amounts listed on CP 14, you
should pay the total amount due by the date
shown on the notice. If you don't pay the
amount due by that date, we'll have to
charge additional penalties and interest. If
you can't pay the amount due, you may be
able to request an
installment
agreement that allows you to pay what
you owe in smaller, more manageable amounts.
I don't agree with the notice. Should I
call or mail my response?
The action you take to depends on the reason
for the underpayment. In most cases, though,
you can call us at the number printed at the
top of the notice to resolve the account.
The following paragraphs describe some of
the more common reasons for disagreeing with
the notice.
If you received the notice because of a
missing payment, call us at the
number printed at the top of the notice and
have your canceled check handy. Tell us the
amount of the missing payment and we'll see
if we can find it while you wait. If we
can't find the payment right away, we may
ask you to read the encoding information
that's printed on the back of most checks.
We'll record the information and suspend any
collection activity while we look for it. If
we still can't find the payment, we'll send
you a letter asking for a clear photocopy of
both sides of the canceled check.
If you received the notice because the
money amount of your payment doesn't agree
with amount shown on the notice, send us a
photocopy of both sides of the canceled
check along with a copy of your bank
statement showing the amount that was
deducted from your account. This may take
more time than finding a missing payment,
but we'll suspend all collection activity
until it's resolved.
If you received the notice because we
haven't processed your amended return
showing a tax decrease, call us to see if we
processed the return after we issued the
notice.
If the notice shows a total tax amount
that's different from the tax you
reported, call us and let us know.
Pre-printed name and address labels contain
a code showing the tax period for the
return. For example, DEC1998 is for the tax
period ended December 31, 1998. If you used
a photocopy of a return you previously
filed, we may have processed it to the wrong
account. Due to the volume of returns we
process, though, we occasionally "hit the
wrong key" and process the return with a
wrong tax period.
If you received this notice after you
paid the amount you owe, give us a call
to make sure we received it.
Is there anything else I should know
about this notice?
We're glad you asked that question. Most of
the time, the issues that resulted in the CP
14 can be resolved quickly and with minimal
inconvenience to you. The most important
thing to remember about the CP 14 is that we
need a response from you as soon as possible
so we can settle your account.
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