IRS letter help · Taxpayer Advocate
Got a letter from the IRS? Start with the date.
Find the date printed on your letter first. Some IRS deadlines can never be extended, even if you call. Then contact our clinic. We help with IRS letters at no cost to you.
Letters with deadlines that matter most
Count from the date printed on the notice, not the day it reached your mailbox.
| Letter | What it means | Your window | Can it be extended? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CP2000 | The IRS’s records don’t match your return and it proposes a change. It isn’t a bill yet. | 30 days | Respond by the date on the letter (60 days if you live outside the U.S.). IRS Tax Topic 652 |
| LT11 or Letter 1058 Final notice of intent to levy | Your right to a Collection Due Process hearing before the IRS takes wages, bank accounts or other property. You ask with Form 12153. | 30 days | No. If you miss it, you can still ask for an “equivalent hearing” within 1 year, but you lose the right to go to Tax Court afterward. TAS, Collection Due Process · TAS, Letter 1058 |
| Notice of deficiency The “90-day letter,” e.g. Letter 3219 | The last step before the IRS formally assesses the tax it says you owe. | 90 days | No. 90 days to petition the U.S. Tax Court (150 if addressed outside the U.S.). Calling the IRS does not extend it. TAS, 90-Day Notice of Deficiency |
| CP14, CP501, CP503 | Reminders that you have a balance due. | Date on notice | The IRS asks you to pay or respond by the date printed on the notice. IRS, Understanding your CP14 notice |
| CP504 | Notice of intent to levy. The IRS can take state tax refunds and move toward wages, bank accounts and Social Security benefits. | Date on notice | Act now. IRS, Understanding your CP504 notice |
Our taxpayer clinic
A nonprofit clinic that works for you, not the IRS
The Texas Tax Literacy Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit taxpayer clinic. We can represent you in audits, appeals and tax collection disputes with the IRS and in court. We help you answer IRS notices and fix problems on your IRS account, and we teach taxpayer rights to people who speak English as a second language.
We are independent from the IRS and from the Taxpayer Advocate Service. We work for you.
Cost: our help with IRS problems, including representation, is free. If your case needs any of these services, you pay only the out-of-pocket cost:
- Priority Mail: the actual U.S. Postal Service price on the day we mail it
- Printing and copies: $0.75 per page
- Faxing: $2.00 for the first page and $1.50 for each page after that
Tax return preparation: our clinic does not generally provide tax return preparation. We help with a return only when it’s needed to resolve your dispute with the IRS.
Choosing our clinic does not get you special treatment from the IRS, and it does not affect your rights before the IRS.
Amount in dispute: we generally take disputes under $50,000 per tax year, the same limit IRS Low Income Taxpayer Clinics use. We make the final decision about each case, so reach out even if you’re close to the limits.
Sources: TAS, Low Income Taxpayer Clinics · IRS Publication 3319
Do I qualify for free help? 2026 income guidelines
We generally serve households at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, the same income guidelines IRS Low Income Taxpayer Clinics use.
| People in household | Income at or below |
|---|---|
| 1 | $39,900 |
| 2 | $54,100 |
| 3 | $68,300 |
| 4 | $82,500 |
| 5 | $96,700 |
| 6 | $110,900 |
| 7 | $125,100 |
| 8 | $139,300 |
| Each additional person | + $14,200 |
How to get help from our clinic
- Book a free Friday consultation.We meet on Google Meet. Have your IRS letter in front of you, or a photo of it.
- We check the deadline and whether you qualify.If your letter has a short window, we tell you what has to happen first.
- We take your case and meet in person.Once you’re our client, we work with you in person and deal with the IRS for you.
Taxpayer Advocate Service
When the IRS system isn’t working, we can help you reach TAS
The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) is an independent organization within the IRS. Its help is always free, and it has offices in every state. TAS may help when an IRS problem is causing you financial hardship, when you’ve tried normal IRS channels and they haven’t worked, or when an IRS process isn’t working as it should.
You have two ways to ask TAS for help:
Start with us
Texas Tax Literacy Project
We’ll look at your problem, tell you whether TAS can take it, and help you prepare Form 911, the request for TAS help.
info@texastaxlit.org
Or call TAS directly
TAS toll-free hotline
877-777-4778
Free. You can also submit Form 911 on your own.
Sources: IRS, The Taxpayer Advocate Service · TAS, Contact us · TAS, Low Income Taxpayer Clinics
Your rights as a taxpayer
Every taxpayer has ten rights under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, including the right to be informed, the right to challenge the IRS’s position and be heard, the right to appeal in an independent forum, and the right to retain representation.
Sources: IRS, Taxpayer Bill of Rights · IRS Publication 1