CBE Group Inc. is one of three private collection agencies working for the IRS. If CBE Group contacted you about federal taxes, the contact can be real. The IRS lists CBE Group on its website, and we’ve seen CBE Group named on a CP40 one of our clients received. Take two minutes to verify it before you pay or share anything.
Updated September 25, 2026 · Checked against real notices our clients received
IRS private collection agency
CBE Group Inc.800-910-5837
✓ Works for the IRS
- Phone (listed by the IRS)
- 800-910-5837
- Mailing address (listed by the IRS)
- P.O. Box 2217, Waterloo, IA 50704
- Works for
- The IRS private debt collection program. The other two agencies are Coast Professional and ConServe.
- Can it garnish or levy?
- No. Private collection agencies can’t take enforcement action.
- Where your money goes
- Only to the IRS, at IRS.gov/payments or by check payable to the United States Treasury.
- IRS number on your CP40
- 844-875-3420
Why CBE Group has your IRS account
Federal law, Internal Revenue Code section 6306, requires the IRS to hand certain inactive balances to private collection agencies. Your balance was probably assigned because the IRS stopped working it, or because more than two years passed after the tax was assessed without anyone at the IRS being assigned to it.
Before CBE Group contacts you, the IRS mails Notice CP40 naming the agency. That notice also prints the IRS’s own help line, 844-875-3420.
How to tell a real CBE Group contact from a scam
- Find your CP40. It should name CBE Group Inc., P.O. Box 2217, Waterloo, IA 50704, 800-910-5837.
- Look for CBE Group’s own letter. The IRS says the agency mails a letter confirming the assignment before it calls you.
- Use the authentication number. The CP40 and the agency’s letter carry the same taxpayer authentication number. On the phone, you give the first five digits and the agency gives you the next five.
- Check your IRS transcript. The IRS says an assigned account shows code 971, “Collection referred to a private debt collection agency.”
- When in doubt, hang up. Call the IRS at 844-875-3420, or call CBE Group back at 800-910-5837, the number the IRS lists.
What CBE Group can do
- Send you letters and call you about your IRS balance
- Explain your payment options
- Set up a plan to pay in full within 7 years, or before the IRS’s deadline to collect runs out
- Do all of that without charging you a fee to set up the plan
What CBE Group can’t do
- Levy your bank account or garnish your wages
- File a federal tax lien
- Accept or reject an offer in compromise
- Put your account in currently not collectible (hardship) status
- Ask you to pay CBE Group directly, or to pay with gift cards or prepaid debit cards
- Threaten you. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act applies
Stay with CBE Group, or go back to the IRS?
If the balance is right and you can pay it off within seven years, a plan through CBE Group can be the simplest route. There’s no fee to set it up, and your payments still go straight to the IRS.
Go back to the IRS if you need something a private agency can’t give you: an offer in compromise, hardship status, or a real dispute over what you owe. The IRS says you have to ask the agency in writing. The Taxpayer Advocate Service has a sample letter on its Notice CP40 page.
Decide in this order
- Is the balance right? Compare it with your IRS online account at IRS.gov/account. If it’s wrong, deal with the IRS, not CBE Group.
- Can you pay it within seven years? If yes, a plan through the agency may be all you need.
- If you can’t, or paying would leave you short on basic living expenses, ask in writing to go back to the IRS, where hardship status and offers in compromise are possible.
How to pay safely
- Online at IRS.gov/payments, straight from your bank account or with a card through an IRS-approved processor.
- By check or money order payable to the “United States Treasury,” with your name, Social Security number and tax year on it.
- Never to CBE Group directly, and never with a gift card, prepaid debit card or wire transfer to a person.
Rather not deal with it yourself?
We’ll handle the IRS side of your CBE Group account
With your power of attorney on file, we can confirm with the IRS what you actually owe and help you decide whether a plan through the agency makes sense or whether your account belongs back at the IRS. If it goes back, we handle the IRS for you.
CBE Group and IRS debt FAQs
Is CBE Group a legitimate IRS collection agency?
Yes. CBE Group Inc. is one of three private collection agencies the IRS lists on its website, along with Coast Professional and ConServe. Verify any contact with your CP40 notice and your taxpayer authentication number.
Why is CBE Group contacting me about my taxes?
The IRS assigned your unpaid balance to CBE Group under its private debt collection program, which federal law requires for certain inactive tax debts. The IRS should have mailed you Notice CP40 first.
Can CBE Group garnish my wages or take money from my bank account?
No. Private collection agencies can't levy, garnish or file liens. Only the IRS can take enforcement action.
Can I pay CBE Group directly?
No. All payments go to the IRS, either online at IRS.gov/payments or by check or money order payable to the United States Treasury.
How do I stop CBE Group from contacting me?
Send CBE Group a written request asking that your account be returned to the IRS. The IRS says the request has to be in writing.
Does a payment plan with CBE Group stop interest and penalties?
No. Interest and any applicable penalties keep adding up until the balance is paid in full, even while you're on a payment plan.
“I interacted with 4 other providers before finding Choice Tax Relief. All the others were offering a "let's get your money up front, then see how this all plays out for you" approach.”
Other numbers from IRS and state tax notices
Sources
- IRS, Private debt collection (agency names, addresses and phone numbers).
- IRS, Private debt collection FAQs.
- IRS Publication 4518, What You Can Expect When the IRS Assigns Your Account to a Private Collection Agency.
- 26 U.S. Code § 6306.
- Taxpayer Advocate Service, Notice CP40.
- Redacted Notice CP40 received by one of our clients (PDF).
Choice Tax Relief is a private tax resolution firm. We are not the IRS, the U.S. Treasury, or any government agency, and we are not affiliated with any private collection agency. You can call the IRS yourself at no charge. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice for your situation.