IRS Announces New Capabilities of Tax Pro Account
As part of a larger effort to improve technology, the IRS recently announced an expansion of Tax Pro Account capabilities. Tax Pro Account provides tax professionals with a digital self-service portal they can rely on to manage their authorization relationship with taxpayers and view the taxpayers' information.
In a press release, the IRS said that new additions to Tax Pro Account, available through IRS.gov, will help practitioners manage their active client authorizations on file with the Centralized Authorization File (CAF) database. Other enhancements will allow tax professionals to view their client's tax information, including balance due amounts. Tax Pro Account users can now also withdraw from their active authorizations online in real time.
With the recent enhancements, tax professionals can now use Tax Pro Account to send Power of Attorney (POA) and Tax Information Authorization (TIA) requests directly to a taxpayer's individual IRS Online Account. Upon the taxpayer's approval and validation of the information, the authorization records immediately to the CAF database, which avoids faxing, mailing, uploading and long review and processing time by the CAF Unit.
Tax professionals must have a CAF number to use a Tax Pro Account; a CAF number cannot be requested through the Tax Pro Account. Currently, the digital authorization process is available only for individual taxpayers, not businesses or other entities.
More Information
- Publication 5533-A, How to Submit Authorizations Using Tax Pro Account and Online Account
- Publication 947, Practice Before the IRS and Power of Attorney
- Power of Attorney and Other Authorizations
The IRS also stated it is committed to improving and expanding Tax Pro Account capabilities and engaging with the tax professional community as these efforts progress.