October 18, 2026 · Daniel Ali

IRS Code 570 and 971 Together: What They Mean & What To Do

IRS Codes 570 and 971 together mean a refund hold plus a notice — read the letter, the codes alone do not say what the IRS wants

Direct answer: Seeing IRS Codes 570 and 971 together means the IRS put your refund on hold for additional review (570) and issued a notice about your account (971). The notice — the letter itself — says what the IRS wants, not the codes. The pair does not mean your refund was denied, and it does not by itself mean you are being audited. Read the notice first, then do exactly what it asks.

What Each Code Adds (570 = Hold, 971 = Notice)

The pair is confusing because each code answers a different question. Read separately, they are simple:

Code 570 — Additional Account Action Pending. Your refund is on hold while the IRS reviews something on your account. Code 570 does not say *what* is being reviewed, and it does not say how long the review will take. It only says the refund is held until the review finishes. For the full guide, read IRS Code 570: Refund Hold Meaning, Timeline & What To Do.
Code 971 — Notice Issued. The IRS issued a notice about your account. The notice number — the code in the small “notice” field beside the 971 line, or on the letter itself — is the part that matters, because different notices ask for different things. For the full guide, read IRS Code 971: Notice Issued — Meaning, Timeline & Next Steps.

Together, the pair means: *something is being reviewed, and the IRS has told you (or is about to tell you) what it is.* The 570 is the hold. The 971 is the explanation. People get into trouble when they react to the hold without reading the explanation — or when they read the notice but ignore the hold.

One thing the pair does not mean: denial. A denied refund looks different — adjustment codes, a notice of disallowance, or a balance-due line. A 570 + 971 pair is a *pause with an explanation attached*, not a rejection.

Same Date vs Different Dates

The order and dates of the two codes change how you should read them:

Pattern	What it usually means	What to do
570 and 971 post on the same date	The hold and the notice were generated together — the notice explains the hold	Read the notice; it likely describes the review behind the hold
570 posts first, 971 days or weeks later	The hold came first; the notice followed once the review identified what was needed	Read the notice — it tells you what the hold is waiting on
971 posts first, 570 later	A notice was issued, then a hold was added (for example, after the notice triggered a review step)	Read the notice, then watch for follow-up codes

Same-date posting is the most common pattern, and it is the one competitors most often misread. Do not treat “same date” as a rule that the case resolves in any fixed number of weeks — no IRS rule says that. Same-date posting means the notice and the hold were generated together; how long the review takes still depends on what the notice asks for and what follows on your transcript.

Different-date posting is also normal. A 570 can sit alone for a while before a 971 appears, because the review may take time to identify what the IRS needs from you. A 971 can also appear before a 570 if the notice went out first. In every pattern, the notice and the follow-up codes govern — not the gap between the two dates.

Pattern Table: What Follows the Pair

What comes after 570 + 971 is what actually decides your case. Watch for these follow-up patterns:

What follows	What it means	Your next step
571	The additional action was resolved; the hold is lifted	Wait for 846 (refund issued) or further codes
571 → 846	Hold released, refund issued	Your refund is on its way; check the 846 date and amount
971 → 846 (no 571 in between)	Notice issued, then refund issued without a separate hold-release line	The review cleared; the refund is scheduled
971 + 290	Notice issued, then additional tax assessed	Match the 290 amount to the notice; you may owe, or need to appeal
971 + 810	Notice issued, then a stronger refund freeze	Read Code 810 (refund freeze) — this is a harder hold than 570
971 + 424	Notice issued, then examination referral	The case moved toward examination — see Code 424
Nothing new for weeks	The review is still open	Keep waiting; check your IRS Online Account for notice copies

The most common happy path is 570 → 971 → 571 → 846: hold, notice, hold released, refund issued. But not every case follows it. Some cases jump straight from 971 to 846. Some add a 290 adjustment. The pattern table above is your decoder — match your transcript to a row, and you know roughly where you stand.

What the Notice Might Ask

The 971 line alone does not tell you what the IRS wants. The notice number does. Common notices that appear with a 570 + 971 pair include:

CP05 — Your return is under review; the IRS is holding your refund while it verifies something. Often the right move is to wait — the notice will say whether it needs anything from you.
CP12 / CP11 — A math-error correction changed your refund or balance. Read the correction, and dispute it within the window shown if you disagree.
CP14 — You owe a balance. The pair plus a CP14 usually means the hold resolved into an amount due.
12C — The IRS needs information to process your return (for example, a missing form or a verification). Send exactly what the notice lists.
5071C / 4883C — Identity verification. Verify your identity through the method the notice gives, promptly — the hold does not lift until you do.
CP75 / CP75A — Documentation audit of a credit (usually EIC). Send the documents the notice lists, by the date shown on it.
CP2000 — Proposed additional tax from an income mismatch. This is a proposal, not a bill — respond by the date shown if you disagree.

If your 971 line shows a notice number you do not recognise, look it up on the IRS notice lookup pages, or read the letter itself — the letter always explains what the IRS wants in plain language. The notice number beside the 971 line and the number on the letter should match; if they do not, go by the letter.

What NOT to Do

Three mistakes turn a routine 570 + 971 pair into a longer delay:

Do not send documents before the IRS asks for them. If the notice says “wait” or “no action needed,” sending paperwork can slow the case down — the documents have to be matched to a case with no open document request. Read the notice first, then do exactly what it asks.
Do not use phone numbers from search results. Scammers impersonate the IRS around refund season. The only phone numbers you should trust are the ones printed on the notice itself, or the numbers on IRS.gov. The IRS initiates contact by mail, not by threatening calls or texts.
Do not assume the pair means an audit. A 570 + 971 pair is a hold plus a notice. An audit (examination) has its own codes — 420 (examination indicator) and 424 (examination request) — and its own letters. Most 570 + 971 pairs are routine reviews that clear on their own or after a simple response.

A fourth mistake is subtler: checking your transcript every hour. Transcript updates post on a weekly or daily cycle depending on your account, and a 570 + 971 pair will not change between cycles no matter how often you look. Check once after each expected update, and check your mail and IRS Online Account for the notice — that is where the action is.

How Long the Pair Can Last

There is no single IRS timeline for a 570 + 971 pair, because the timeline belongs to the notice, not the codes. A CP05 review that needs nothing from you may clear in weeks. A CP75 document review takes as long as the document review takes after you respond. An identity-verification hold clears after you verify. A case that turns into an examination follows the examination’s timeline.

What you can do is anchor on the notice’s own dates. If the notice says the IRS needs 60 days, give it 60 days from the notice date. If it asks you to respond by a date, respond by that date — your response date often restarts the clock on the IRS’s side. If the pair has sat unchanged for months with no letter and no follow-up codes, that is a legitimate reason to call the IRS or contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service.

One honest note: waiting is the hardest part, and it is also the correct move in most cases. A 570 + 971 pair resolves when the review behind it resolves. Calling repeatedly does not speed up a review that is still inside its normal window — but a call is the right move once the window has clearly passed.

For a broader view of where this pair sits in your refund’s story, check your refund status and the full IRS Transcript Codes guide.

FAQ

What does it mean when IRS Codes 570 and 971 appear together?

It means your refund is on hold for additional review (570) and the IRS issued a notice about your account (971). The notice — the letter itself — says what the IRS wants. The pair does not mean denial, and it does not by itself mean an audit.

Does 570 + 971 mean I am being audited?

Usually not. The pair is a hold plus a notice. An audit (examination) has its own codes — 420 and 424 — and its own letters. Most 570 + 971 pairs are routine reviews. If the notice is a CP75 or CP75A, that is a correspondence examination of specific credits, which is a limited review, not a full audit.

What should I do first when I see 570 and 971 together?

Read the notice. Find the notice number beside the 971 line or on the letter, and follow the letter’s instructions — wait, verify your identity, or send specific documents. Do not send documents the notice did not ask for, and do not use phone numbers from search results.

How long will 570 and 971 stay on my transcript?

There is no single IRS timeline — the timeline belongs to the notice, not the codes. A review that needs nothing from you may clear in weeks; a document review takes as long as the review takes after you respond. If the pair sits unchanged for months with no letter and no follow-up codes, call the IRS or the Taxpayer Advocate Service.

What comes after 570 + 971?

The most common happy path is 571 (hold released) → 846 (refund issued). Other paths include 971 → 846 directly, 971 + 290 (additional tax assessed — match it to the notice), or 971 + 810 (a stronger refund freeze). Watch the follow-up codes; they decide the case.

Can 570 + 971 mean my refund was denied?

No. A denied refund looks different — adjustment codes, a notice of disallowance, or a balance-due line. A 570 + 971 pair is a pause with an explanation attached. If the review ends with an amount due, the notice and the adjustment codes (usually 290 or a 29X/30X code) will say so.

Related Guides

*Disclaimer: This article is general information only, not tax advice. Your transcript, notices, and the IRS’s records govern your case. If you are unsure what a notice asks for, consider consulting a qualified tax professional.*

Sources: IRS — Understanding Your CP05 Notice · IRS — Understanding Your CP75 Notice