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Woman concerned after getting letter from IRS

Posted at 7:07 AM, Nov 17, 2015
and last updated 2018-11-21 17:46:28-05
A woman gets a letter supposedly from the IRS, saying she needs to pay up. She thought it was a scam.
"When I opened it up, I saw IRS, and I was like this has to be a joke," says Melody Jones.
 
This notice addressed to her says she owes the IRS $2,000.
 
"It basically told me that my education credits in 2013 were, they couldn't verify them," says Melody.
 
Melody took a picture of the IRS letter and posted it on Facebook. And sure enough, some of her friends commented, telling her they got the same notice.
 
 
"And I'm thinking how many people out there just freaking out and don't want to get in trouble and they just pay this $2,000 that they might not even have to pay," says Melody.
 

So she reached out to Contact 13. Melody wants to know, is this real? And if it is, she wants to know how to fight it.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR IRS NOTICE OR LETTER

 
"I don't have $2,000 to give back," says Melody.
 
"Don't panic. Many IRS notices are just a request for clarification. They don't necessarily mean that you owe money, and it could be a simple fix," says Certified Public Accountant, Kim Walker.
 
She says this letter is the real deal. There was probably just a mistake made on Melody's taxes.
 
So if you get this letter, you need to send the IRS proof that you paid your tuition. That means digging through your files for what's called a 1098-T, issued by your school.
 
 
Send a copy to the IRS, and then you should get that educational tax credit your looking for. Just remember, it's probably going to take 4 to 6 weeks for a response.
 
"They always respond, but it takes some time," says Kim.
 
And whatever you do, don't ignore the letter.
 
"If there is a problem and you do end up to owe money, you've got penalty and interest accruing. So it's important to clean it up as fast as possible," says Kim.
 
Melody says she has every intention to fix this problem.
 
"I will not pay this $2,000 if it's the last thing I do. I shouldn't have to," says Melody.
 
So here's the Contact 13 bottom line. If you need proof of tuition paid and don't have a 1098-T in your records, you can request a new copy from your school. 
 
 
And if you get a letter or email you think might be a scam, let us know about it.
 
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