Straightforward answers to the questions Julius hears most.

First: do not panic and do not throw the letter away. Every IRS notice has a code in the upper right corner (CP or LTR followed by a number). That code tells you exactly what the IRS is asking for and what the deadline is.

Read the whole letter before you react. Many notices are informational and require no reply. Others give you 30 or 60 days to respond — missing that window can turn a simple issue into a much harder one.

Compare what the notice says to your return. If the numbers do not match, gather the supporting documents (W-2s, 1099s, receipts). If you agree with the change, follow the instructions on how to pay or set up a payment plan. If you disagree, you have the right to respond in writing.

If any of this feels unclear, that is the moment to bring in an Enrolled Agent. As your authorized representative, Julius can speak directly to the IRS on your behalf using Form 2848 — you no longer have to.

A CP2000 is not a bill. It is a proposal. The IRS matched income reported to them (usually 1099s or W-2s) against what appeared on your return and found a difference.

You have three options: agree with the proposed change and pay, partially agree, or disagree with supporting documentation. Do not ignore it — silence is treated as agreement and the amount becomes a bill.

The most common cause is a missed 1099 — brokerage, contract work, or a form that arrived late. Sometimes the IRS is right; sometimes the third-party report is wrong and you have the paperwork to prove it.

Julius reviews CP2000 notices personally, matches them line-by-line to the return, and drafts the response. In many cases the correct answer is a partial agreement with an adjusted balance.

Unfiled returns feel worse than they usually are. The IRS wants people to come back into compliance, and the fastest path is almost always to file — even years late.

You typically need the last six years to be considered current. The IRS may already have income data on file (a wage and income transcript) that can help reconstruct returns when your own records are incomplete.

If you cannot pay the resulting balance, that is a separate conversation — installment agreements, hardship status, or an Offer in Compromise may apply. But those doors only open once the returns are filed.

This is one of the most common reasons people call Julius. The first step is a plain review of what is missing and what the IRS already has on you.