IRS deadline calculator
IRS response windows run from the date printed on the notice, not the day it reached your mailbox. Pick your notice, enter its date, and see your typical deadline with a live countdown.
Typical windows per notice type, the exact date printed on your letter always governs.
Typical IRS response windows, by notice
Counted in calendar days from the date printed on the notice. Windows in red are set by law and cannot be extended.
| Notice | What it is | Typical window |
|---|---|---|
| CP14 | Balance due, first notice | 21 days |
| Letter 12C | Information missing from return | 20 days |
| CP2000 | Proposed changes, income mismatch | 30 days |
| CP504 | Intent to levy | 30 days |
| LT11 | Final notice, CDP hearing right | 30 days |
| CP523 | Payment plan default | 30 days |
| CP05A | Documents needed for refund | 30 days |
| 5071C | Identity verification | 30 days |
| CP11 / CP12 | Math-error correction, dispute right | 60 days |
| CP3219A | Statutory notice of deficiency, Tax Court | 90 days · fixed by law |
How IRS deadlines actually work
Three rules explain almost every IRS deadline. First, the clock starts at the printed date, not delivery: a notice dated July 1 with a 30-day window expires around July 31 even if it sat in postal transit for ten days. This is why a letter that "just arrived" can already be half-expired, and why the first thing to do with any IRS envelope is find its date.
Second, not all windows are equal. Most response windows are administrative: miss one and the process escalates, but options remain, the IRS routinely grants extensions on aCP2000 if you call before the date. A few windows arestatutory: the 90 days on a CP3219A notice of deficiency and the 30 days to request a Collection Due Process hearing after anLT11are set by law, and no phone call extends them. Knowing which kind you're facing changes everything about how urgently to act.
Third, silence has a schedule. Miss the window on a balance-due notice and the next letter is already queued: CP14 leads toCP501, then CP503, then the levy warnings, each step adding penalties and interest you can estimate with thepenalty calculator. The cheapest response is almost always the earliest one.
Deadline questions, answered
Is the deadline counted from the date I received the letter?
What if my deadline falls on a weekend or holiday?
Can I get more time to respond?
Is this calculator's date my official deadline?
Stop guessing. Your exact date is on your letter.
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