IRS Notice CP501: First Reminder of Balance Due
A reminder that a balance remains unpaid. Interest and the failure-to-pay penalty keep accruing while it sits.
- Respond within
- 21 days
- How urgent
- Attend to it
- Appeal rights
- Not with this notice
How long you have
This notice gives you 21 days to respond. The due date is printed on the letter itself.
The IRS's own guidance on any notice is short: “If we ask you to respond, act by the due date.”
What we do with a CP501
Still early, still cheap. We confirm the balance and put a resolution in place before the letters escalate.
Where the CP501 sits in the sequence
Collection letters arrive in order, and each one is firmer than the last.
This page is general information, not advice on your specific matter. An Enrolled Agent has to read your actual notice and your transcripts before telling you what to do about it.
Related notices · Balance due and collection
- CP14Balance Due
- CP503Second Reminder of Balance Due
- CP504Notice of Intent to Levy
- CP504BIntent to Levy · Business
- LT11Final Notice of Intent to Levy (also Letter 1058)
- CP90Final Notice of Intent to Levy
- CP91Intent to Levy Social Security
- CP92Levy on State Refund (also CP242)
- CP523Installment Agreement Default
- CP508CPassport Certification
- CP71CAnnual Balance Reminder
- CP40Private Collection Assignment
- LT38Collection Restart Notice
- Letter 3172Federal Tax Lien Filed
- Letter 725-BRevenue Officer Appointment
Decoded your CP501? Now let's answer it.
Send us the actual notice. A licensed Enrolled Agent will review it free of charge, confidentially, the same week.