What a CP71 annual balance reminder is telling you
- What it is
- Annual reminder of a balance due
- Type
- Balance and collection
- Your deadline
- The IRS page gives no fixed window. Go by the date printed on your letter.
- To
- You
- From
- Blaga Veleva, EA
- Re
- Annual balance reminder
A CP71 is the IRS annual reminder that a balance on one of your tax accounts is still unpaid. It also warns that a passport can be denied or revoked for seriously delinquent tax debt. Your first step: confirm the balance and any recent payments, then set up a way to pay so interest stops growing.
What does the CP71 notice mean?
A CP71 means an old balance is still open and needs your attention. It is a status letter about a debt the IRS already has on its books, not a new assessment. The notice also explains that the State Department can deny or revoke a passport when the tax debt is seriously delinquent.
How much time do I have?
No response window is printed on the irs.gov CP71 page, so there is no single deadline to beat. Treat it as a prompt to act now (irs.gov CP71 page). That does not mean the debt waits quietly. Interest keeps accruing, and the IRS generally has 10 years from the date tax was assessed to collect it, a limit called the Collection Statute Expiration Date (irs.gov). Each assessment has its own date, and it is shown on your account transcript. Some actions, such as a pending installment agreement request, suspend that clock.
What happens if I ignore it?
What should I do this week?
- Find the tax year and amount on the CP71.
- Check your IRS account or transcript for recent payments. irs.gov says payments can take up to 21 days to post.
- Compare what is listed with your own records.
- Decide how to pay: in full, through a payment plan, or by asking about other options.
- If you have travel coming up, deal with the balance first because of the passport rule.
How an Enrolled Agent helps with a CP71
The job here is to turn an old, drifting balance into a plan. Blaga Veleva, EA, who holds the credential the IRS calls "the highest credential the IRS awards," can pull your transcript under Form 2848 and confirm the balance and posted payments. From there she can:
- set up a payment plan if you can't pay in full
- check whether an offer in compromise fits your income and assets
- ask about a temporary collection delay if paying would cause financial hardship
Work with her in person near FM 1960 and SH 249 in Houston, or remotely through her secure upload portal.
Which notice usually comes next?
The CP71 page does not name a next notice. As an annual reminder, it can arrive again each year the balance stays open. If the IRS moves to collect, watch for a CP504 or a final levy notice like the LT11 or Letter 1058.
Not in the decoder yet. Read it to us.
Call (281) 785-0460 Send it to us
That does not mean it is unusual. The IRS sends many different notices and letters. Read us the number and the date printed on it, and Blaga will tell you what it is and what it asks you to do.
Check the letters before the number too (CP, LT or Letter), in the top right corner. See every letter in the decoder.
Type the number from the top right corner of your letter, for example CP504 or LTR 1058. No number? Try a word like levy, lien or audit.
Which one is it?
Look at the letters printed just before the number, top right of the first page.
Still not sure? Call (281) 785-0460 and read it to us.
Which letter is it?
The number is in the top right corner of the first page, for example CP14 or LTR 1058. Type it above, tap a common one below, or see every letter the decoder covers.
- What it means
- Your deadline
- If it waits
- How an Enrolled Agent can help
Have Blaga read yours Full guide
Source: irs.gov. This is a plain-English summary, not advice on your case.
Questions people ask
Q1Is a CP71 serious?
It means a real debt is still open. It is a reminder rather than a levy, but interest is growing, refunds can be taken, and the passport warning applies if the debt is seriously delinquent.
Q2Why do I get a CP71 every year?
Because the balance is still unpaid. The CP71 is an annual reminder, so it keeps coming while the account has money owed on it. Paying in full or setting up a plan is how it stops growing.
Q3Can a CP71 stop me from getting a passport?
The notice warns that the State Department can deny or revoke a passport if you are certified as having seriously delinquent tax debt. Resolving the balance or getting a payment plan in place is the practical fix.
Q4Will the IRS keep my tax refund?
It can. irs.gov says future refunds may be offset until the balance is paid.
Q5How long can the IRS collect an old balance?
Generally 10 years from the date the tax was assessed. This is the Collection Statute Expiration Date, and each assessment has its own. Some events, like a pending installment agreement request, suspend or extend it, so check your transcript before assuming a debt is about to expire.