South Carolina notice
SCDOR Identity Verification Letter: Quiz or Code Verification
SCDOR is holding your return until you confirm you filed it, using the online quiz, a letter code, or documents.
Reply by the date on the notice
Complete the verification by the date on the letter; until you do, the return stays unprocessed and any refund is held.
This letter means SCDOR has paused processing your South Carolina return until you confirm it really came from you. It asks you to complete the Identity Verification Quiz or the Individual Code Verification on MyDORWAY, or sometimes to send documents. SCDOR says it cannot process the return, and you will not receive any refund, until you follow the letter's instructions.
What this notice is telling you
- This is a fraud screen, not an accusation. SCDOR runs these checks so that no one else can file using your information and take your refund.
- Your return arrived but is on hold before the accuracy review and refund approval stages.
- The letter points you to dor.sc.gov/VerifyID (the quiz) or dor.sc.gov/VerifyCode (the code printed in the letter).
- Being chosen does not mean something is wrong with your account. SCDOR describes these letters as a routine step it takes after a return is filed.
What to do
Check the letter is real before you act
Go to dor.sc.gov yourself rather than following a link in an email or text. SCDOR does not text or email asking for personal data, and it has warned about text and WhatsApp scams that pretend to be from SCDOR.
Have your return in front of you
The quiz and code check compare your answers with the return SCDOR received. Use the actual return you filed, not an estimate of what you remember.
Complete the quiz or enter the code
Use the method the letter names. If it asks for documents instead, send copies by the method in the letter.
Track the return afterward
Once verified, the return goes back into processing. Check Where's My Refund for its status. Call only if nothing changes for more than 8 weeks or the tool tells you to contact SCDOR.
If you did not file this return
If the letter is about a return you never filed, do not complete the quiz as though it were yours. Contact SCDOR using the details on the letter or at VerifyMe@dor.sc.gov or 1-844-898-8542 (option 1), the contacts SCDOR lists for identity verification. SCDOR's Security Center links to an Identity Theft Affidavit (I-381), and the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs Identity Theft Unit takes reports at (844) 835-5322. Someone who has your details for a state return may have used them federally too, so check your IRS account as well.
A different letter: verifying your withholding
SCDOR also sends letters asking you to confirm withholding, because W-2s and 1099s are not attached to e-filed returns and your employer's filing may not match your return. That is not an identity check. It asks for copies of your wage and income statements, sent the way the letter describes.
What to expect after you verify
SCDOR describes its refund review in stages: a fraud screen of up to five weeks, then an accuracy review, final verification and approval. For most error-free e-filed returns, the whole process takes up to 8 weeks from 2 February or the filing date, whichever is later. Paper returns take longer, and amended returns take at least 12 weeks. The identity check happens at the fraud-screen stage, so a delay in answering pushes back every stage after it. Status updates post nightly in Where's My Refund, and you need your SSN or ITIN and the exact refund amount to look it up.
What happens if you ignore it
The return simply stays on hold. SCDOR says it cannot process the return or issue the refund without verification. If tax was due instead of a refund, an unprocessed return can turn into balance-due or adjustment notices later. Answering promptly is the only way through.
Where this notice sits
- Identity Verification letter
- Notice of Refund Adjustment (I-351)
The usual order. Not every account gets every notice, and some steps can be skipped.
Want a CPA to deal with it?
Bring the notice to a free consultation, in person on James Island or by video. We read it with you, tell you what it means for your account and, if you want us to, take over the response once SCDOR has our power of attorney on file.
IRS & SCDOR letters — Find your notice number below, see what it means and which date matters, then let a licensed CPA deal with the IRS or SCDOR on your behalf.
Sources
By Haigler CPA Group. Updated . Notices are revised from time to time, so go by the wording and dates on your own notice. The information on this site is general in nature and is not tax, legal, or accounting advice for your situation. Tax law changes and the right answer depends on facts we would need to review with you. Please speak with a qualified professional before acting on anything you read here.
Questions about Identity Verification letter
Why did SCDOR pick my return for identity verification?
SCDOR does not publish its selection criteria. It describes the letters as a routine anti-fraud step after filing, so being selected does not mean your return contains an error.
Does the federal 5071C letter cover my South Carolina return too?
No. The IRS and SCDOR verify identity separately. Completing the IRS check does not release your state return, and the reverse is also true.
Can someone else complete the identity verification for me?
The quiz checks your personal knowledge of your own return, so you should complete it yourself. For anything else about the notice, a representative needs a valid SCDOR power of attorney on file before SCDOR will discuss it.
Other notices
- Estimated Assessment (C-293): SCDOR estimated your tax because no return was filedSCDOR has no return for a period and has estimated the tax; filing the actual return is usually how it is resolved.
- SCDOR noticesSouth Carolina runs its own notices, deadlines and appeal rights, separate from the IRS. Find the type of letter you received below.
Talk to a tax expert
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