What should I do: when tracking refund on IRS site, says they need to verify my identity and they mail something which I never got. Is this common? Return accepted on TT

[joey25]

My return says "Accepted" on Turbotax but when tracking with IRS tool, receive this message "To protect you from identity theft, your tax return is currently being reviewed. To help us process your return more quickly, verify your identity and tax return information. If you recently received a letter from us, follow the instructions on the letter."

No information has changed since last year, even refund amount is the same. Is there anything I can do to speed up the process. Turbotax has my estimated return date as Feb. 8 - today.

[JulieS]

Yes, every year some income tax returns are reviewed due to possible identity theft issues. 

As a filer, you need to just co-operate if the IRS asks you for documents or identification. They will likely mail you a letter to the address on your tax return as a first point of contact, so be wary if you are called by a person claiming to be from the IRS. 

Follow this link to learn more about how the IRS helps taxpayers eliminate identity theft. 
 

[joey25]

When should I receive this letter? I would have thought I would have received it by now as this message has been showing up for 10 days in "Where's my refund". Nothing has been mailed to me by the IRS yet (have mail preview) and I filed on the first day possible. This appears to be increasingly common this year as I have spoken with friends and others online saying they are in the same situation and no one can get a straight answer, even from the IRS.

[JohnW152]

There's no official timeframe, but the IRS tries to get your identity verified as quickly as possible to get your refund out to you in the shortest possible time.

If the IRS' Taxpayer Protection Program has identified a return it suspects might be using information gathered by identity theft, you may receive Letter 4883C from the IRS, requesting that you verify your identity within 30 days.

See the following IRS resources for more information:

• IRS identity theft victim assistance: How it works
• What taxpayers should do if they get an identity theft letter from the IRS