CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR TAX & FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS

IRS News – Fax No More August 27, 2019

The IRS ended its tax transcript faxing service June 28, 2019. Taxpayers can access Get Transcript Online at IRS.gov, and after identifying themselves, immediately download or print a transcript.

This is an easy solution if the taxpayer is in your office. The taxpayer can get a transcript by mail (usually within ten days) if they go to Get Transcript by Mail at IRS.gov. If it’s easier for your client, they can submit Form 4506-T or 4506T-EZ for a transcript by mail.

Tax Update from Western CPE

Tax Professionals can obtain tax transcripts as follows:

  1. Request that the IRS mail a transcript to the taxpayer’s address of record, or
  2. Use e-Services’ Transcript Delivery System online to obtain masked individual transcripts and business transcripts, or
  3. Obtain a masked individual transcript or a business transcript by calling the IRS, faxing authorization to the IRS assistor and the IRS assistor will place the document in the tax practitioner’s e-Services secure mailbox.
  4. To obtain an unmasked wage and income transcript for tax preparation purposes, tax practitioners may call the IRS, faxing authorization to the IRS assistor and the IRS assistor will place the document in the tax practitioner’s e-Services secure mailbox, or obtain and unmasked wage and income transcript if authorization is already on file by using e-Service’s Transcript Delivery System.

Effective July 1, 2019, the IRS will no longer provide transcripts to third-parties. Taxpayers will probably choose to provide transcripts directly to requestors instead of authorizing the third party to request the transcripts.

Tax practitioner planning. These changes will not affect use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process.