Mailing of IRS notices delayed due to ongoing pandemic

2020-12-16

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/mailing-of-irs-notices-delayed-due-to-ongoing-pandemic

Due to the volume of notices that needed to be printed and mailed after the IRS restarted issuing notices and due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic, the IRS continues to experience delays mailing backlogged notices to taxpayers. This delay impacts some, but not all, IRS notices dated from November 9 – November 23rd.

The impacted notices are those requesting payment for tax owed or notifying taxpayers of changes made to a tax return resulting in a different refund amount or tax owed. Each impacted notice mailed to taxpayers will include Notice 1052-D Important! You Have More Time to Respond to the Enclosed Notice. Taxpayers are encouraged to read Notice 1052-D carefully. It explains why the notice was delayed and, more importantly, provides a new date by which to pay a balance owed or respond if not in agreement with changes made by the IRS on the tax return.

It is important that taxpayers take the following actions when receiving any correspondence that includes Notice 1052-D:

  • Review the last page of the correspondence to determine if there is a new due date for a balance owed or a new response date.
  • Disregard the notices if steps have already been taken to resolve the issue.
  • Contact the IRS using the number on the notice if you have additional questions. Keep in mind that phone lines remain extremely busy due to the pandemic.

Taxpayers who are unable to pay are encouraged to consider available payment options to minimize penalties as well as interest that will continue to accrue. Those who were assessed a penalty and have been impacted by the pandemic or other circumstances may qualify for relief from penalties due to reasonable cause if they made an effort to comply with the requirements of the law, but were unable to meet their tax obligations, due to facts and circumstances beyond their control. Taxpayers should call the toll-free number on their notice to request penalty relief due to reasonable cause if they feel they qualify and have the necessary supporting documentation. More information about reasonable cause relief is available at IRS.gov.

Note: Taxpayers now have the option to view their notices electronically through their online account. This new option gives taxpayers immediate access to specific IRS notices instead of waiting for them to arrive by mail. In addition, taxpayers have direct access to payment options and can check their account balance.