To anyone who filed early (on/around 1/24), who’s claimed CTC - watch your mailboxes for a letter from the IRS!
My taxes were correctly e-filed & accepted on 1/24. In which I claimed the other half of the CTC (only “extra” credit claimed). I owe the IRS nothing, I have no child where child support is a factor nor do I have any student loans. I’d checked the WMR and IRS2GO app religiously to try to see some type of update on my refund, with no changes to the status. I saw that the IRS released a press release in February saying “most early filers who claimed CTC would have their refund in their bank accounts on March 1st.” This ended up not being the case for me and I began to worry.
Yesterday 3/3, I received a Letter 5071C from the IRS dated 2/11, saying that I needed to verify my identity because they had reason to believe someone had fraudulently filed a tax return using my name and SSN. I could’ve called a 1-800 number or gone through the online portal. I chose the online portal and was able to easily and successfully verify I’m who I say I am and that I was the one who filed said tax return for 2021. After completing the verification process, they said that they can now process my tax return but it will be delayed by up to 9 weeks, as long as they find no other issues when they’re processing my return.
I read online that the IRS is trying hard to combat tax fraud so they’re randomly flagging returns and mailing the Letter 5071C to filers as a precautionary measure. So, if you’re in a similar position, keep your eyes on your mailbox! The IRS will not touch your return if you receive this letter until you verify your identity, which could cause further delays.
