Key Takeaways The IRS sends millions of notices and letters each year — most are routine, but some require urgent action to protect your rights Understanding the difference between a CP14 balance due notice and a LT11 final notice of intent to levy can mean the difference between a simple payment and losing your assets Every IRS notice includes a notice number (top right corner) that tells you exactly what the IRS wants and what your options are You typically have 30 to 60 days to respond to most IRS notices — missing deadlines can result in lost appeal rights and aggressive enforcement A qualified tax resolution professional can help you interpret complex notices and develop the right response strategy How IRS Communication Works The Internal Revenue Service communicates with taxpayers primarily through the United States Postal Service. The IRS does not initiate contact through email, text messages, or social media — if you receive a communication claiming to be from the IRS through any of those channels, it is almost certainly a scam. Legitimate IRS correspondence always arrives as a physical letter or notice in your mailbox. The IRS sends correspondence for many reasons: to inform you of a change to your account, to request additional information, to notify you of a balance due, to alert you to an examination (audit), or to warn you about impending enforcement actions such as levies and liens. Understanding the purpose of each communication is critical because your response — or lack of response — can have significant financial and legal consequences. Each piece of IRS correspondence includes several key identifiers. The notice or letter number appears in the upper right corner of the first page. This number (such as CP14, CP2000, LT11, or Letter 525) tells you exactly what type of communication...