What to Do If the IRS Tells the State Department to Revoke Your Passport

The IRS will do everything to get you to address your debt, including taking away your passport privileges, even if you’re already abroad. If you owe more than $66,000 as of 2026, your passport is at risk of being denied or revoked by the State Department. That number is tied to inflation and increases annually.

In this guide, we will discuss how to know whether the IRS has revoked your passport, the notices you get before it happens, and what you can do to reverse the situation.

Key Takeaways

Notice CP508C: The IRS has notified the State Department of your seriously delinquent federal tax debt, and your passport may be revoked.
Seriously delinquent federal debt tax: As of 2026, that’s $66,000, but it’s adjusted every year for inflation.
Resolution options: You can prove that the certification was done in error, or get the IRS to approve a payment plan that restores your international travel privileges.
Notice CP508R: The IRS has reversed the certification of your tax debt and notified the State Department.

What Is IRS Notice CP 508C?

Notice CP504B means that the IRS has certified your tax debt to the State Department, and you have lost your passport. This happens when the IRS deems your unpaid taxes as seriously delinquent. Unfortunately, this isn’t an advanced warning. The IRS sends you Notice CP508C at the same time they send a certification to the State Department.

What’s Included in Notice CP508C?

The notice is also known as the Notice of Certification of Seriously Delinquent Federal Tax Debt. It outlines the total amount due, which includes the initial debt, penalty, and interest charges. You’ll then find the deadline for paying off your debt next to the balance.

The IRS explains why you got the CP508C notice and what it means. The notice also includes the steps you can take to resolve your tax issues under “what you need to do” to prevent your passport revocation or the pause of a passport application. The agency also goes over recourse if you don’t agree with your seriously delinquent tax or if you received misleading advice from the IRS that led to penalties.

Read all the details on the CP508C Notice before taking action. If there are details you’re not quite sure of or need help with a response, The Law Offices of Stephen B Kass can help shed some light.

What Counts as “Seriously Delinquent Tax Debt”

Not all unpaid tax debt is considered seriously delinquent. As of 2026, the IRS uses a $66,000 threshold (but the number adjusts every year for inflation). If your tax debt is above this amount (including penalties and interest), the IRS considers it a serious delinquent and can certify it to the State Department.

That said, there are some types of tax debts that are exempt from being considered seriously delinquent tax debts. They include:

FBAR penalties
Child support
Department of Justice settlements
Tax debts you’re already paying off through an installment agreement plan
Tax debts you’re paying through the offer in compromise program
Debts suspended because of innocent spouse relief

The IRS will also not certify your debt if you fit any of these situations:

You’ve requested a collection due process hearing regarding a levy for the tax debt.
Your account is in the Currently not Collectible (CNC) status.
You have a pending request for an offer in compromise or a monthly payment plan.
You’re in bankruptcy.
You’re a victim of tax-related identity theft.
The IRS accepted an adjustment to settle your debt.
You reside in a federally declared disaster area.
You’ve applied for innocent spouse relief.

In a nutshell, not all tax debts meet the “seriously delinquent” requirement, and in most cases, if you’re actively working with the IRS to resolve the tax debt, you don’t have to worry about losing your passport. However, if you have unresolved tax debt and penalties over $66,000, talk to a tax expert to help determine if you’re at risk of losing your passport.

Consequences of Certification

All notices from the IRS can be overwhelming, and with the CP508C, you’ll be dealing with passport issues, which can inconvenience you if you’re planning to travel. Keep in mind that when the IRS doesn’t care whether you’re traveling for a summer trip, your child’s graduation, or a life-changing business opportunity.

Here’s how the Notice CP508C affects your passport:

Passport application rejection: If you’ve recently applied for a new passport, your application will be rejected.
Passport renewal denial: If you had started applying for a passport or you’re trying to get one renewed, the State Department may deny your request if you don’t make any arrangements to deal with your seriously delinquent tax problem.
Travel restrictions: The State Department could also restrict your passport so you don’t travel freely. For example, if you’re abroad, the agency can limit it only to allow you to return to the country.
Passport revocation: In some cases, the State Department revokes your passport completely so you can’t use it or get out of the country.

On the bright side, you can prevent these passport issues even after the CP508C passport revocation. The State Department will hold your passport application for 90 days, giving you time to pay your tax debt or make arrangements with the IRS. A tax expert can help fasten the process.

How to Stop or Prevent Certification

If you have travel plans or are simply worried about your tax debt affecting your passport, there are a few steps you can take to resolve the issue. Here’s how to protect your passport:

Pay the debt in full: Clearing your tax debt is the fastest way to remove the certification. Unfortunately, delinquent debts are usually very high, so if you’re not able to pay in full, consider our other options.
Set up a payment plan: Also known as an installment agreement, this is a good option if you can afford to pay off the tax debt in monthly payments.
Offer in compromise: This program allows you to pay less than you owe, but the approval rates are low, so be sure to involve a tax professional.
Currently not collectible( CNC): If you qualify for CNC, the IRS temporarily stops the collection actions until your financial situation changes.
Certification appeal: If you disagree with the tax debt that has caused you to receive the certification, you can appeal.
Innocent spouse relief: If you can prove the serious delinquent tax is a result of an error your spouse made, such as underreporting income, the IRS can lift the certification.

Tax attorney Stephen says that the IRS’s main objective of sending the CP508C is to get a taxpayer’s attention and get them to deal with the tax debt. “They don’t necessarily want you to pay, even though they’d like that; they want you to address the tax debt.”

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some answers to common questions people ask regarding the IRS passport revocation:

How does the IRS take away passports?

The IRS doesn’t directly take away your passport. It notifies the State Department. Once this department gets the certification, you can’t renew or use your old passport. Or if you’re trying to apply for a new passport, the State Department will deny you based on the letter received from the IRS.

Does the State Department notify a taxpayer before denying them a passport?

The State Department sends you a written notice through the mail to let you know your passport application has been denied. However, before the agency denies you a passport, it holds the application for 90 days to ensure it’s the right decision. The department can approve the passport in the following scenarios:

The IRS sent the certification by mistake.
The tax debt in question is legally unenforceable.
The taxpayer has a payment arrangement with the IRS.
The taxpayer pays the tax debt in full.

When any of these conditions are met, the IRS can issue Notice CP508R to reverse the certification.

How do you know if the IRS plans on suspending your passport?

Before the IRS adds you to the certification list, it sends you a Notice 6152. After you receive this, you have 30 days before the IRS proceeds. If you ignore the notice, the IRS sends a Notice CP508C to your last known address and sends a notification to the State Department, too.

How long does it take to get your passport back after paying taxes?

Once you resolve issues with the IRS by paying in full or securing a payment arrangement, the IRS will notify the State Department within 30 days. But there are no set days on how long the State Department takes to resolve the issues. The IRS will let you know that you’re off the hook by sending you a Notice CP508R. You can then renew your passport, apply for a new passport, or use your existing passport.

What if I have travel plans and the IRS took my passport?

If you need to travel, a tax expert is your best chance of getting your passport faster. First, you need to resolve your tax debt with the IRS by making a payment arrangement, paying taxes in full, or using other resolution methods. After this, you can show the IRS you need to travel in the next 45 days. The IRS will expedite your request and send your status update to the State Department in 14-21 days.

What if the IRS takes away my passport while I’m out of the country?

If the IRS certifies your debt to the State Department when you’re abroad, you can still travel back home. The department can either issue a temporary passport that only allows you to travel back to the U.S. or limit your passport to only returning home.

What if I’m not sure my passport has been suspended?

If you have a tax debt of $66,000 in 2026 and you’re not sure if your passport has been suspended, there are a few things you can do to find out. You may not know if your passport was revoked if you moved to a new residence, or if you didn’t get IRS notices for other reasons.

If you’re not sure how much you owe, contact the IRS to see how much you owe; you can do this by setting up an online account or calling the IRS. You can then call the National Passport Information Center (877 487-2778) to find out your passport status.

Are you at Risk of Losing Your Passport? We Can Help

The IRS will take all steps necessary to fix the tax debt, and sometimes that means taking away your passport. This is to inconvenience you and get you to take your tax compliance seriously.

At the Law Offices of Stephen B Kass, we can help you not only get your passport back but also come up with a long-term tax plan to ensure you stay compliant moving forward. All you need to do is call us or email us.