Letter Response Service

For those people who have had their returns filed, letters may have been generated and currently are in the mail from state and local governments. Unfortunately, once you’re on an agency’s list for notices, the notices are automatically generated, typically at 30-day intervals. These notices often do not reflect the most current up-to-date information as the letter may already be resolved, or the requested documentation or payment may have already been completed. 

To that end, if you receive a letter, please upload it to your client portal, and then call or text the main office at (503) 719-6178. Go Green Tax likes to evaluate all letters received by our clients. Upon review of the letter received, Go Green Tax is able to evaluate what the appropriate response, if any, is needed.

 Here are the letters that are commonly received at this time: 

1.       Oregon Department of Revenue: Notice of Adjustment.

This notice is Oregon disagreeing with the calculation of the Underpayment of Estimated Tax Penalty/Interest.  Essentially, the Oregon Kicker Credit is causing problems (in a good way) with the tax software’s calculation of the penalty.  If your direct debit was set to 4/15, or you mailed off a check on 4/15, don’t worry, and the notice is also indicating a balance due, take a deep breath.  Most likely, the notice doesn’t reflect the payment yet. State and local systems are not great and Go Green Tax wishes the State would wait to send out the notices until after they processed their payments. Generally speaking, there is most likely no action or response needed at this time. However, please still bring the letter to our attention so we can evaluate it and alleviate any stress.

2.       Portland Preschool For All and Metro Supportive Housing: Notice of Adjustment.

This notice is in regard to the underpayment of estimated taxes.  If you owe over $1,000 on any tax, the taxing agency wants you to make quarterly estimated tax payments.  Failure to do so can result in penalties and interest unless you qualify for a safe harbor provision.  Portland is difficult.  They won’t waive interest, and they require an in-writing request (can be an email) to waive penalties. That said, most of the balance due is interest, not penalty, so it’s hardly worth pursuing.  The best bet is to prevent it by adjusting your withholdings on your W2 or making quarterly payments in 2025. Here’s a link to make the quarterly payments. Please see the supplemental screenshots below for a walkthrough on making these estimated quarterly payments.

Go Green Tax’s software does not have the functionality to be able to calculate this interest and penalty on the underpayment, and Portland does not have an online calculator to do so.  Go Green Tax is addressing this deficiency by migrating tax software providers this next season.