Identity, refunds & unfiled returns
The rare IRS letter that might be carrying good news: IRS records suggest you may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit but didn't claim it. It includes a worksheet/form to claim it.
Handle it
The rare IRS letter that might be carrying good news: IRS records suggest you may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit but didn't claim it. It includes a worksheet/form to claim it.
Why you got it: Your income and family pattern in IRS data matches EITC eligibility, but no credit was claimed on the return.
Not a bill and not an audit of a claim you made — it's an invitation to claim money. It deserves a careful answer, not a fast one: claiming a credit you don't qualify for creates the audit kind of letter (CP75).
Your first move: Work the eligibility rules honestly (income limits, qualifying child rules, filing status), and if you qualify, return the form in the notice by its date.
The clock on this letter: Return the form by the date on the notice.
The notice prints its response date. Separately, EITC claims for a year generally must be made within the refund limitations period (3 years from the filing deadline, 6511).
The form in the envelope is the shortest path.
The EITC assistant on IRS.gov runs the rules anonymously; VITA sites prepare it free.
Return the completed form to the address in the notice.
Nobody charges to 'unlock' an EITC the IRS already told you about. The form in the envelope is the whole process.
Nothing bad — the possible credit simply goes unclaimed, and after its 3-year window, unclaimable.
Where this sits on the ladder: This letter stands on its own track — see the collection ladder for the enforcement road.
One payment. No subscription. Yours to keep — every notice, every letter, every script.