Respond to a letter requesting additional information
Respond to a letter requesting additional information
- Locate the letter you received from the list below, under Respond to a letter.
- Review our printer-friendly checklists that outline what you need to respond.
- Log in or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
Note: If you received a letter telling you your refund was adjusted or denied (Form DTF-160 or DTF-161), see Your refund was adjusted.
New letter this year: Request for Information (RFI)
Requests for Information (Forms DTF-948 and DTF-948-O) are new letters the Tax Department may send you for tax year 2020 and later. If your refund status says we sent you one of these letters, we need additional information to finish processing your return. It is important that you respond by the date noted on the letter to allow us to continue processing your return.
Where to find your letter online
You can view your letter in your Individual Online Services account, using our Respond to Department Notice application. You do not need to request electronic communications to view this notice in the application.
Note: If you requested electronic communications in your Individual Online Services account, you may also see the letter in the message center on your Account Summary homepage.
Common reasons we may send Forms DTF-948 or DTF-948-O
- We need to verify you reported the correct amount of wages and withholding, and that you allocated correctly to New York State (see Checklist for acceptable proof of wages and withholding).
- We need to verify your residency.
- You're claiming a credit or tax benefit, and we did not receive a copy of the form with your tax return. (We need a copy of the form to review the credit you are claiming.)
- We need to verify your eligibility for the refundable tax credits or itemized deductions you claimed.
- You're claiming a dependent deduction and we need to verify the dependent's Social Security number or date of birth (see Checklist for acceptable proof of a child or dependent).
- We need information to verify the rental real estate income or loss you claimed.
- We need to verify information about partnership, S corporation, or trust income or loss.
For directions on how to respond, see Get ready to respond.
New refund status

We sent you a letter requesting additional information. You should receive the letter within 2 weeks. To respond to your letter quickly and easily online--and to review our checklists for a complete response--select Help in the upper-right corner of this page.
The Help button is available in the Check your refund status application. The same information is available below.
Why you received a letter
If you receive a letter from us asking for documentation to support what you claimed on your return, it doesn't mean that you did anything wrong. It's just an extra step we take to ensure refunds—for the correct amounts—go out to only those who are entitled to them. Our goal is to stop questionable refunds before they go out the door, not to delay your refund.
Select an expandable to learn what you need to respond to your particular letter. You can:
- view a sample copy of the letter we sent you (you can locate the form number of your letter in its bottom left corner); Note: If you received Form DTF-948 or 948-O, you will have an opportunity to review your notice within the Respond to Department Notice application itself.
- review our printer-friendly checklists that outline how to respond;
- see step-by-step instructions for how to respond online (view our Respond to a Department Notice demo to see how easy it is); and
- create an Individual Online Services account if you don’t already have one (watch our Individual Account Creation demo to learn how).
Respond to a letter
DTF-948 or DTF-948-O (Request for Information)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- Review our checklists to ensure you include everything we need in your response:
- Gather the documents we requested.
- If your letter included a questionnaire and you need additional sheets to complete your response, download Form AU-262.3 or Form AU-262.55 and print or save an extra copy of the form you received.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Notices page, select your notice from the Quick response section. Use the Actions drop-down to view or respond to the notice you received.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-960-E (regarding unemployment benefits)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received and the checklists for responding to your letter to ensure you include everything we need in your response: DTF-960-E
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Responses to commonly asked questions about Form DTF-960-E regarding unemployment insurance
If you received Form DTF-960-E regarding unemployment insurance, please review the information below before calling for assistance.
I agree with the assessment. Where do I send the consent and payment?
Send your signed consent with payment and payment voucher to:
NYS ASSESSMENT RECEIVABLEPO BOX 4127
BINGHAMTON NY 13902-4127
I cannot pay in full by the due date. Can I make a payment arrangement online?
Yes. You may request an installment payment agreement (IPA) online.
I never applied for unemployment benefits. Why did I get Form DTF-960-E?
You may be a victim of UI benefits fraud and identity theft. Visit Department of Labor: Report Fraud to report it, and request review of your 1099-G. You must still respond to Form DTF-960-E, and send us your corrected 1099-G.
How do I request information about my unemployment Form 1099-G?
Visit the Department of Labor website to, request a copy of your unemployment Form 1099-G, or request review of the information reported on your 1099-G.
DTF-973.56-O or DTF-973.96-O (wages and withholding)
Did your refund status recently change to "We sent you a letter requesting information to verify the amount of withholding you claimed"?
If your refund status recently changed to the status below, we will be sending you Form DTF-973.56-O. To view and respond to your notice now, follow the steps provided to submit the information requested online.
"We sent you a letter requesting information to verify the amount of withholding you claimed on your tax return."
Tip: To find your Document Locator Number (DLN), log in to your Individual Online Services account. The confirmation number for your 2019 income tax return is the same as your DLN.
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received and the checklists for responding to your letter to ensure you include everything we need in your response:
- DTF-973.56-O (see Checklist for acceptable proof of wages and withholding), or
- DTF-973.96-O (see Checklist for acceptable proof of wages and withholding).
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select I received a notice about my refund, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.52 or DTF-973.73 (child or dependent)
Due to school and other office closures, we're extending your time to respond to Form DTF-973.52 or Form DTF-973.73 by 30 days. You may now respond within 75 days of the date on your letter. We are also providing a list of alternate documents you may provide if you are unable to obtain those we requested. See Checklist for acceptable proof of a child or dependent.
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received:
- DTF-973.52, or
- DTF-973.73.
- Review both checklists about responding to your letter to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.52 or DTF-973.73 (college tuition)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received:
- DTF-973.52, or
- DTF-973.73.
- Review our Checklist for acceptable proof of college tuition expenses to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.52 (self-employment income)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter and questionnaire you received: DTF-973.52 and DTF-973.52-ATT.
- Review our Checklist for acceptable proof of self-employment income to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.73 (child and dependent care expenses)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received: DTF-973.73.
- Review both checklists about responding to your letter to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.66 (business loss)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received: DTF-973.66.
- Review our Checklist for acceptable proof of business loss to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.65 (rental loss)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received: DTF-973.65.
- Review our Checklist for acceptable proof of rental loss to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.3 (taxi, limousine, or self-employed driver income and expenses)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received: DTF-973.3.
- Review our Checklist for acceptable proof of taxi, limousine, or self-employed driver income and expenses to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
DTF-973.55 (itemized deductions)
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- View the letter you received: DTF-973.55.
- Review our Checklist for acceptable proof of itemized deductions to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to or create your Online Services account.
- Select the ≡ Services menu, then choose Respond to department notice.
- From the Questionnaire page, in the Notice type section, select My return was selected for review or audit, as shown in the image below.

Sample screen of Respond to Department Notice page
Other audit letters
If you received an audit notice that is not listed in any of the sections above, you can still use Respond to Department Notice to submit a response.
Get ready to respond!
- Locate the form number of your letter in its bottom-left corner.
- Review your letter carefully to ensure you include everything we need in your response.
- Gather the documents we requested.
- Make digital copies of your documents. Hint: You don’t need a scanner to make a copy; use your smartphone to take and share a clear and legible picture instead!
Ready to respond?
- Log in to your Online Services account or create one. (Note: You will be able to view only future correspondence in a newly created Online Services account.)
- Select the ≡ Services menu in the upper left-hand corner of your Account Summary homepage.
- Select Respond to department notice, then select Respond to department notice from the expanded menu.
- From the drop-down menu, choose My return was selected for review or audit.
- Enter your case number beginning with the letter X found in the upper-right corner of your notice.
Request electronic communications from the department
The best way to communicate with the Tax Department about your return is to open an Online Services account and request electronic communications for both Bills and Related Notices and Other Notifications. To ensure that you receive future communications in the message center of your Online Services Account Summary homepage, create or log in to your account and update your preferences now, before filing your next return.
Once you've logged in to your Online Services account:
- Select your name in the upper-right corner of your Account Summary homepage.
- Select Preferences, then select Electronic communications from the expanded menu.
Filing Information sample form:
Enter your company's information:
Field 1: Taxpayer ID
Field 2: Legal Name
Field 3: Street Address
Field 4: City
Field 5: State/Province
Field 6: Zip/Postal Code
Field 7: Filing Method (Note: Must be the same as selected on questionnaire.) Option 1: Gross Weight Method Option 2: Unloaded Weight Method
Field 8: Number of Vehicle Records to Report - Choose the Electronic notification options you want to receive email about. To receive a notification when your refund is issued and other electronic communications about your income tax refund, select both options.
Header cel: Electronic notification options
Bills and Related Notices-Get emails about your bills.
Other notifications-Get emails about refunds, filings, payments, account adjustments, etc.
Header cell: Receive email
Check box
Check box - Read the Acknowledgement section.
- Select Save.