When you've got a notice on the desk, a transcript on screen, or an e-file kicked back from the IRS — these tools have the answer in seconds. Built by tax preparers, for tax preparers.
Each tool covers a different moment in tax preparation work. All three share the same plain-English approach, same search UX, same severity coding.
For when an IRS notice arrives in the mail. Decode any CP2000, CP14, LT11, Letter 226-J, or 50+ others in plain English. Includes deadline countdown, response strategy, and downloadable letter templates for CP2000 disagreements, math error abatements, First-Time Penalty Abatement, CDP hearing requests, Offers in Compromise, and international information return penalty defenses.
For when you're reading an IRS account transcript and need to know what a Transaction Code means. Every TC code preparers actually encounter — TC 150 (return filed), TC 290 (additional assessment), TC 570 (account hold), TC 766/767 (credit/reversal), TC 846 (refund issued), TC 922 (AUR opened), TC 971 (notice issued). Includes "when you see this on a transcript" context, action steps, and tactical preparer notes on code combinations.
For when an e-file gets kicked back and you've got 5 minutes to fix and retransmit. Decode R0000-504 (dependent SSN already used), IND-031 (prior-year AGI mismatch), IND-181 (IP PIN wrong), FW2-502 (employer EIN mismatch), F8962-006 (APTC reconciliation missing), and 18 more. Each entry has a "why this rejected" cause card and a step-by-step fix list, plus tactical notes for the trickier ones like custody-disputed dependents.
Every tax preparer has had that conversation where the client is on the phone, the notice is in their hand, and the answer is buried in IRS publications. These tools collapse that to seconds.
No IRS-speak. Each entry leads with what the code actually means in the words a preparer would use to a client — then drills into the technical details and statutory references for when you need them.
Every entry tells you what to DO next. Notice Decoder includes downloadable response letter templates. Reject Decoder has numbered fix steps. Transcript Decoder shows you the next codes to look for.
Each entry has a tactical "tax preparer note" — the institutional knowledge that's only learned by doing the work. The kind of thing a senior partner mentions when you bring them the case.
No login, no email signup, no paywall, no ads. Built as a public reference for the tax preparation community. Bookmark and share freely.
The decoders pair well with these calculators and lookups — same brand, same dark mode, same anti-bloat approach.