Employment-Related Tax Identity Theft

IRS Definition

If you’ve experienced one of the following, this may be an indication your Social Security number or other personal information may have been used by another person without your permission for employment purposes.

• You receive IRS notice CP01E, Employment Related Identity Theft, stating you may be the victim of employment-related identity theft;
• You receive IRS notice CP2000, Request for Verification of Unreported Income, Payments, or Credits, listing wages you didn’t earn;
• You receive IRS notice CP2057, Check Your Records to Confirm the Income You Received, regarding a potential income discrepancy and the questionable income is directly related to wages that were not earned by you;
• You receive a Form W-2 or Form 1099 from an employer for whom you didn’t work;
• You receive a notice from the Social Security Administration (SSA) stating that your Social Security benefits have been adjusted/denied because of wages you didn’t earn or;
• You receive a Social Security Statement from SSA showing more income than you’ve earned.

More from H&R Block

Employment-related tax identity theft occurs when someone uses your Social Security Number (SSN) to get a job and then reports the income under your SSN. You’d normally find out about this type of fraud when the IRS:

• Audits your return
• Sends you a notice about unreported income (CP2000 notice)
• Tries to collect a balance you don’t owe
• Requests a tax return when you aren’t required to file

Learn how to address tax identity theft.