Many of our clients have reached out regarding notice from the IRS and DE. In our ongoing effort to keep our contacts informed, we felt it was important to blog about the topic and we want to proactively reassure you: these notices are common, routine, and can be resolved.

CP 5071 Notice

Why the IRS Is Sending These Letters? The IRS has significantly increased identity?theft prevention measures in recent years. Even perfectly valid tax returns can be flagged if something looks different from prior years. This does not mean there is a problem, and it does not mean you did anything wrong. CP 5071, which simply the IRS wanting to confirm that you filed the return.

How to Verify (and How to Make Sure the Letter Is Legit)

The safest and preferred method is to go directly to the IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/verify-your-return

From there, you’ll be guided through the process. The IRS will never:

• Ask for verification by email or text
• Ask for bank or credit card info
• Ask you to click a shortened or unfamiliar link

A legitimate IRS identity?verification letter will:

• Come by U.S. mail only
• Include a letter number (such as 5071C) in the upper-right corner
• Reference the specific tax year
• Direct you to IRS.gov, not a third-party website

If the letter asks you to call the IRS, verify that the phone number matches the one listed on IRS.gov for that letter type.

What to Expect After Verification

Once identity verification is completed:

• The return continues processing
• Any refund is issued after processing is finished
• No further action is usually required

It can take a few additional weeks, but again, this is routine and manageable.

How We Can Help

If you receive one of these letters:

• If you encounter difficulties in verifying your identity online, please reach out to us.

The most important thing is not to ignore the letter, but also not to panic. This is a security check, not an audit.

CP 53E Notice

An IRS CP53E notice indicates your tax refund is frozen because the IRS failed to direct deposit it, often due to missing, invalid, or rejected bank information. Due to a 2026 digital-first mandate, the IRS now requires you to update banking details online within 30 days to receive a direct deposit or wait roughly six weeks for a paper check. We are seeing many of our clients getting this notification when they don’t have a refund and the IRS has the correct bank info. If you are confident that you have done this correctly, disregard the notice.

Steps to Take Upon Receiving a CP53E Notice

• Do Not Use Links in the Letter: Scammers are mimicking this notice. Do not click links or scan QR codes.
• Log in to Your IRS Account: Go directly to irs.gov/account to verify the notice and update bank info.
• Act Within 30 Days: You have a 30-day window from the notice date to provide accurate routing and account numbers.
• Wait for Processing: After updating, it may take 2–5 days for the information to process, which you can check via the “Where’s My Refund?” tool. 

Key Details

• No Phone Updates: IRS employees cannot update your bank information by phone.
• One-Time Chance: You generally have only one opportunity to update your bank information online; if it fails again, a paper check will be mailed.
• If You Do Nothing: The IRS will issue a paper check, but it may take over 6 weeks. 

Again, if you didn’t expect a refund, or if you applied your overpayment to the next year, you may still receive this notice if the IRS system triggered a, potentially incorrect, requirement for a bank update. 

State of Delaware Notices

For our Delaware contacts, you may receive one of many notices from the State of Delaware. Verify before paying any of these notices. Contact the State of Delaware directly or if you are a client, let us know about the alert and we can assist. You can find additional information on the Delaware Taxpayer Portal.