Each year the IRS sends millions of letters and notices to taxpayers, so don't panic. Many taxpayers will receive this correspondence during the late summer and fall as the IRS processes through the 100 million plus returns.

Here are several things every taxpayer should know about IRS notices – just in case one shows up in your mailbox.

1. Don’t panic. Many of these letters can be dealt with simply and painlessly. Maybe you forgot to sign a return or include a form. Or maybe like Felix Unger the IRS just wants to see the person who prepared the absolutely neatest return!
2. There are number of reasons the IRS sends notices to taxpayers. The notice may request payment of taxes, notify you of a change to your account or request additional information. The notice you receive normally covers a very specific issue about your account or tax return. Read the notice carefully and see how you should respond.
3. Each letter and notice offers specific instructions on what you are asked to do to satisfy the inquiry.
4. If you receive a correction notice, you should review the correspondence and compare it with the information on your return. Often it is a math error or reporting an incorrect amount of income. If your bank sent you a 1099INT for $50 of interest and you incorrectly reported $500 the IRS would notify you and offer you the suggested correction. Keep in mind that when you receive a 1099 from an organization that the IRS also does!
5. If you agree with the correction to your account, usually no reply is necessary unless a payment is due.
6. If you do not agree with the correction the IRS made, it is important that you respond as requested. Write to explain why you disagree. Include any documents and information you wish the IRS to consider, along with the bottom tear-off portion of the notice. Mail the information to the IRS address shown in the upper left-hand corner of the notice. Allow at least 30 days for a response.
7. Most correspondence can be handled without calling or visiting an IRS office. However, if you have questions, call the telephone number in the upper right-hand corner of the notice. Have a copy of your tax return and the correspondence available when you call. Have a pen and paper handy because the agent will answer the phone and give you their last name and badge number. Write it down and if you did not understand it you may ask for it again once. Prior to calling you may want to take a bathroom break and make sure that you have a beverage to drink while you wait. It can take 30 minutes to connect to an agent.

If you are prone to shouting tell the agent that you are a little hard of hearing and sometimes you don’t realize how loudly you speak. That way when patience wears thin they won’t hang up on you