Taxes
IRS Adds Features to Tax Pro Account for Managing Client Authorizations
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.
Oct. 02, 2023
As part of a larger effort to improve technology, the Internal Revenue Service has added new features to its Tax Pro Account system that allow tax professionals access to new services to help their clients.
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.
These changes reflect ongoing transformation efforts made possible under the Inflation Reduction Act. Tax professionals are a critical part of the nation’s tax system, and the new IRS Strategic Operating Plan highlights the need to improve technology and services for taxpayers as well as tax professionals.
“Tax professionals provide a vital service to taxpayers and the nation, and the IRS is committed to making improvements to help them serve their clients,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “As part of our transformation efforts, we will be working to add new technology and expand our relationship with the tax professional community. The ongoing improvements to the Tax Pro Account are just part of a larger effort.”
The new enhancements continue IRS efforts to improve the third-party authorization process. The IRS also continues to work on additional expansions to improve services to taxpayers and their tax professionals.
Tax Pro Account continues expanding with new features
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.
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 than 260,000 people have used Tax Pro Account since it launched in July 2021. The webpage has been viewed over 2.7 million times.
The future of Tax Pro Account
The IRS is committed to improving and expanding Tax Pro Account capabilities and engaging with the tax professional community as these efforts progress. This partnership will enhance the authorization request process and provide tax professionals with the tools they need to access relevant taxpayer information and the ability to address relevant tax-related issues for their clients quickly.