IRS Tax Professional Account: New Tools for Tax Professionals

The IRS Tax Professional Account is a self-service digital portal designed to assist tax professionals in managing authorized relationships with their clients and accessing their clients’ tax information. The IRS recently updated this account to facilitate tax professionals in submitting tax information authorization (TIA) and power of attorney (POA) requests directly to a client’s individual IRS online account.

Once the client verifies and approves the request, the authorization is immediately added to the centralized authorization file (CAF) database. This streamlines the processing times and eliminates the need for faxing, mailing, or uploading documents.

Who Can Request for a Power of Attorney?

The individual requesting a power of attorney must have the authority to practice before the IRS as an attorney, certified public accountant, registered agent, actuary, or retirement plan agent.

Requirements for Using the Tax Professional Account

For tax professionals to use the Tax Professional Account, they must have an up-to-date CAF number assigned to them as an individual. To request a CAF number for the first time, tax professionals can submit a third-party authorization with Forms 2848 or 8821. However, CAF number requests will not be made through the Tax Professional Account.

They must also have a CAF address in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.

Features of the Tax Professional Account

The Tax Professional Account allows tax professionals to view their clients’ tax information, including outstanding balance amounts. They can also send a POA or TIA request to an individual’s IRS online account, view and withdraw active POA and TIA, and manage and withdraw active client authorizations registered in the CAF database.

For more information, refer to the following resources:

– Publication 5533-A, How to Submit Authorizations Using the Tax Professional Account and Online Account
– Publication 947(SP), How to Practice Before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Legal Power Attorney and Other Authorizations
– Tax Professional Account Accessibility Guide

Tax professionals can leverage their professional account to simplify authorization requests, making their practice more efficient and effective.