Nothing ruins a Tuesday in La Crescenta like a windowed envelope from the IRS. Here’s the part nobody tells you: most notices are routine, computer-generated, and completely manageable — if you act inside the response window printed on them. The damage we see almost never comes from the letter. It comes from the letter sitting in a drawer for four months.
The IRS letters we see most
- CP14 — balance due. The opening move: the IRS thinks you owe and this is the first bill. Often it traces back to underpaid estimates. If the number is right, pay or set up a plan; if it’s wrong, respond — don’t ignore.
- CP2000 — the mismatch letter. Not an audit, despite how it reads. A 1099 someone filed about you doesn’t match your return. Sometimes they’re right; often the income is there but reported on a different line. It comes with a proposed amount — you have the right to disagree with documentation.
- CP501 → CP503 → CP504 — the collection ladder. Each rung is the same balance with escalating urgency; CP504 means levies are on the table. The earlier the rung, the more options you have.
- Audit letters. Real examinations arrive by mail with specific years and items listed. This is the moment to use representation — a CPA can speak to the IRS so you don’t have to (it’s question #9 on our hiring list for a reason).
California’s versions
The FTB sends its own balance-due and return-demand notices — and it’s often faster to escalate than the IRS, with tools like bank levies and wage garnishments that arrive sooner than owners expect. CDTFA (sales tax) and EDD (payroll) letters deserve the same urgency; a CDTFA notice to a restaurant or market is frequently the first sign of a POS tax-mapping problem that’s been compounding quietly.
The response playbook
- Verify it’s real. Genuine IRS contact starts by mail — not by phone call, text, or email demanding gift cards. Scam letters exist too: check that any payment address or QR code actually resolves to irs.gov or ftb.ca.gov.
- Read for two things: what they claim, and the respond-by date. Everything else is boilerplate.
- Never ignore it. Even when you’re right. Silence converts disputes into assessed balances.
- Don’t pay a number you don’t understand. A surprising share of proposed CP2000 amounts shrink or vanish once the documentation is assembled.
A notice is a conversation with a deadline, not a verdict. Bring it to us the week it arrives — unopened is fine, we’ve seen everything — and it usually ends as a letter back, not a check.
When the envelope arrives
- Open it the same day; note the notice code (top right) and the respond-by date
- Verify authenticity before paying anything or clicking anything
- Match the claim against your return and records
- Respond in writing inside the window — or have your CPA do it under representation
- Fix the cause (estimates, a missing 1099, POS mapping) so the sequel never mails
This article is general information, not tax advice for your specific situation. Rules change and details matter — talk to a CPA (we know one) before acting on anything here.