What This Letter Means

Letter 2262, Cover Letter for Transmitting Signed Rescission, comes with a copy of the signed rescission agreement. That agreement is usually Form 8626, Agreement to Rescind Notice of Deficiency. It means you and the IRS both agreed to withdraw the statutory notice of deficiency, the 90-day letter, that the IRS sent you.

The IRS can rescind a notice of deficiency only with your consent. The rescission is effective on the date the IRS countersigns the agreement.

What Rescission Does

  • The rescinded notice is no longer treated as a notice of deficiency.
  • You have no right to file a Tax Court petition based on that notice. The 90-day petition period tied to it is gone.
  • The time the notice was outstanding still counts as a suspension of the assessment statute. The clock starts running again on the date of the rescission.
  • The IRS can issue a new notice of deficiency later, and it can be for a different amount.

The IRS decides rescissions case by case. Common reasons are a notice sent to the wrong person, for the wrong year, or for the wrong amount, or a request for an Appeals conference on a case Appeals thinks can be settled. If the assessment statute was close to running out, the IRS may have required you to sign a Form 872 or Form 872-A extending it before agreeing.

What to Do

  • Keep this letter and the signed Form 8626 with your tax records.
  • Finish whatever led to the rescission. If you promised documents or an explanation, send them by the date you agreed to.
  • If you signed a statute extension, know what it covers and when it ends.
  • Watch your mail. A new notice of deficiency carries its own deadline to petition the Tax Court, and that deadline is printed on the notice. Do not miss it.

If Something Looks Wrong

Check that the agreement lists every tax year and the same deficiency and penalties shown on the original notice. If anything does not match, contact the IRS office named in the letter right away. Respond in writing, keep copies, and use certified mail.

If you received Letter 2262 and want to make sure your rights are protected going forward, call us at (813) 229-7100.