NOTICE CP87A

Notice CP87A is a letter sent by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to taxpayers who have claimed a dependent on their tax return that is also being claimed by another taxpayer. The notice asks the taxpayer to verify that the person they listed as a dependent actually qualifies as a dependent.

      Reasons why it happened:

• Another taxpayer filed a tax return claiming the same dependent as you.
• You made a mistake on your tax return and entered the wrong Social Security number for your dependent.
• Your dependent claimed themselves as a dependent on their own tax return.
• The IRS has reason to believe that the person you claimed as a dependent does not actually qualify as a dependent.

Options for responding:

If you receive Notice CP87A, you need to respond to the IRS within 30 days. You can respond by mail, fax, or online.

To respond by mail, complete and return the form that came with the notice.

To respond by fax, send the completed form to the fax number listed on the notice.

To respond online, go to the IRS website and follow the instructions on the CP87A page.

What information do you need to provide to the IRS?

When you respond to Notice CP87A, you will need to provide the following information:

• Your Social Security number
• The Social Security number of the dependent(s) in question
• Any documentation that proves that the dependent(s) in question qualify as your dependent(s)

Examples of documentation that you can provide include:

• Birth certificates
• Adoption papers
• Divorce decrees
• School records
• Medical records
• Financial records

What happens if you don’t respond:

If you don’t respond to Notice CP87A, the IRS may disallow your claim for the dependent(s) in question. This could result in you having to pay additional taxes and penalties.

How to avoid it in the future:

To avoid receiving Notice CP87A in the future, make sure that you are only claiming dependents who actually qualify as your dependents. You should also double-check to make sure that you have entered the correct Social Security number for each dependent on your tax return.