You Received a State Tax Notice: Here's What to Do

Notices are a normal part of sales tax compliance, not a sign that something has gone wrong. This guide explains which notices Kintsugi handles for you, which ones need your action, and what to do the moment one arrives.

First, Don't Panic

Receiving a letter from a state revenue department does not mean you are in trouble. Many notices are routine: a registration confirmation, a filing reminder, or a policy update. Some do need attention. The point of this guide is to help you tell the difference quickly.

What matters most is that the notice reaches us. Notices are time-sensitive, and an unanswered one can escalate into penalties or collections.

Start Here: Where Did the Notice Arrive?

Your next step depends entirely on how the notice reached you.

1. It arrived through Kintsugi Mail or thru your Virtual Mail Group

What To Do: We already have it. No action needed from you.

Mail sent to your Kintsugi Mail address is scanned by our partner Stable, reviewed by our team, and shared automatically with everyone in your Virtual Mail Group. Our team is included in that group, so we see the notice at the same time you do.

You can read it any time under Configuration > Kintsugi Mail > Mail Inbox. If it needs something from you, we will contact you.

2. It arrived at your own business address or inbox

What To Do: Send it to us.

This is the case where we are relying on you, because a notice delivered to your own address or inbox never passes through Kintsugi Mail and we have no way of knowing it exists.

Scan or photograph the notice, including every page, and send it to us through the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Do this as soon as you can rather than waiting for your next filing.

There are two common reasons a notice lands at your own address: the state has an older address on file from before you started with Kintsugi, or that particular registration was set up with your address rather than your Kintsugi Mail address. Worth telling us either way, so we can look at correcting it.

3. You found it in a state tax portal

What To Do: Send it to us, and please do not assume we have seen it.

A growing number of states no longer post paper notices at all and put them in your online account instead. This is the one channel we cannot see between filings, so it is worth understanding why.

We sign in to your state portals when we prepare and submit your returns. That means we see portal messages on your filing cadence, not continuously:

If you file annually in a state, a message posted the week after your return could sit unread for close to a year. Some of those messages carry response deadlines.

Take a screenshot or download the PDF and send it to us through the chat bubble. We recommend signing in to your state portals about once a quarter to check the messages or correspondence section, and always after the state contacts you by any other means.

4. The state called you on the phone

What to do: Tell us it happened.

Write down the caller's name, the agency, any reference or letter number they mention, and what they said, then send that to us.

States rarely call first. A phone call usually means a written notice is already waiting somewhere, most often in your state portal, so check there as well.

What Kintsugi Handles

Once a notice is with us, we take it from there. That includes:

1. Reviewing the notice to work out what it is and what it requires

2. Comparing it against your filing and payment history before anything else happens

3. Opening a ticket for any notice that needs an action, so it is tracked to closure

4. Corresponding with the state agency directly on your behalf.

5. Meeting the response deadline on the notice

6. Forwarding refund checks to your designated mailing address, with a notification when we send it

We might be reaching out to you first if we have questions or anything we might need from you.

What You Need to Handle

A short list, but an important one:

• Getting us notices we cannot see. Anything that arrives at your own address or inbox, or sits in a state portal.

• Keeping your Virtual Mail Group current. If the people responsible for tax are not on that list, they will not see scanned mail. Owners and Admins can update it under Configuration > Kintsugi Mail.

• Approving your pending filings. A return that is prepared but not approved cannot be submitted, and the state records it as unfiled. This is one of the most common reasons customers receive a notice in the first place. Check your Filings page for anything awaiting approval, including zero returns.

• Answering our questions. Some notices need information only you have, for example an exemption certificate, a transaction detail, or a document from before you joined Kintsugi.

• Anything outside sales tax. Notices about income tax, payroll, or corporate registration are not part of what Kintsugi manages. Send those to your accountant or tax advisor.

Notices That Deserve Faster Attention

All notices should reach us promptly, but a few carry more risk if they sit:

If your notice looks like one of these, send it to us the same day if you can, and say in your message that it looks time-sensitive.

For help reading the language on the notice itself, see Is My State Tax Notice as Urgent as It Sounds?

What Happens After You Send Us a Notice

1. We confirm we have received it.

2. Our team reviews it and determines whether it needs a formal response.

3. If it does, we open a ticket to track it and begin working with the state agency.

4. We come back to you if we need anything from you.

5. We tell you when it is resolved.

FAQs

Q: Does a notice mean I did something wrong?

A: Usually not. Registration confirmations, filing reminders, and policy updates are all routine. Even an assessment notice is often a mismatch in the state's records rather than an error on your part.

Q: Kintsugi filed my return on time. Why did I get a notice anyway?

A: This happens, and it is usually one of a few things: the notice was generated before your return was processed, the state applied a payment to a different period, or the notice relates to a period before you started with Kintsugi. Send it to us and we will work out which.

Q: Do I need to respond to the state myself?

A: For sales tax notices, no. That is what we do. Responding separately can actually complicate things, because the state may end up with two conflicting communications. Send it to us first.

Q: The notice says I owe money. Should I pay it?

A: Do not pay it before talking to us. Assessment amounts are frequently incorrect or already covered by a payment the state has not yet applied. Send us the notice and we will review the balance before anything is paid.

Q: Does Kintsugi check my state portals for new messages?

A: Not continuously. We sign in when we prepare and file your returns, so we see portal messages on your filing cadence. Anything posted between filings needs to come from you, which is why a quarterly check is worth the few minutes.

Q: Will I see scanned notices in the app, or only by email?

A: Both. Scanned mail is emailed to your Virtual Mail Group and also viewable under Configuration > Kintsugi Mail > Mail Inbox. Note that only Owner and Admin roles can see the inbox, since Members do not have access to the Configuration tab.

Q: Is Kintsugi Mail available outside the US?

A: Not currently. Kintsugi Mail is a US-only service at the moment.

Related Articles

• Comprehensive Guide to Kintsugi Mail

• How Kintsugi Handles Tax Notices from the State

• Types of State Tax Notices, Explained

• Two-Factor Authentication for State Tax Portals Overview

Need Help?

For further concerns, we're always here to help. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, just reach out to us using the chat in the bottom right corner of your screen.