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Update on Obtaining Transcripts from the IRS

Posted on Dec. 21, 2018

If you have been following the news from the IRS about the ability to obtain transcripts from it, you know that at the start of 2019 the IRS plans to make it harder to obtain transcripts. The Tax Section at the ABA has been working the issue to try to get the IRS to slow down the process to make sure that it has everything in place. The IRS has been moving relatively quickly in an effort to plug security concerns. Last December it cut off e-Services to everyone who was signed up and made them sign up again with enhanced security questions before allowing access. In August of 2018 in made an announcement about its intention to create a new improved system – improved from a security perspective and not from the perspective of ease in obtaining transcripts. In September 2018 it made a follow up announcement.

In the message reproduced below from ABA Tax Section Chief Counsel, Meg Newman, she provides an update of the ongoing efforts of the community to resolve issues of security versus access. This is an important message for anyone who regularly tries to obtain transcript information from the IRS.

Dear PBTC Community,

As many of you know, in August the IRS announced changes to transcripts including redacting Wage & Income (W&I) transcripts and an end to faxing any transcripts to representatives. The people at the IRS who have been working on this issue have real security concerns about the faxing process, but have also been sincere in listening to our concerns and have worked hard to address them. The Tax Section has been included in a working group to discuss potential ways for representatives to access unredacted W&I transcripts and other transcripts prior to CAF processing of POAs. On December 13, we submitted comments to the IRS summarizing our recommendations (www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/…).

Yesterday the IRS held a conference call and then released the attached fact sheet summarizing their decisions for how to address the concerns we have raised. The IRS was eager to get news out on this issue, and as a result some of the language in the fact sheet may be confusing. I clarified this morning with the IRS what they intended to convey. Here is a summary of the key points and some remaining issues.

  1. As of January 7, 2019, representatives who have a need for unredacted (the IRS calls it “unmasked”) Wage & Income Transcripts can call PPS and request unredacted transcripts be sent to their secure mailboxes through eservices (the “Secure Object Repository” or the “SOR”).
    • The standard for what qualifies as a need for an unmasked transcript includes return preparation.
    • The fact sheet outlines the steps for requesting an unredacted transcript be sent to your SOR and includes the option to fax a POA to the PPS representative if one is not already on file through the CAF Unit.
    • Taxpayers can currently (and also in the future) request that an unredacted transcript be mailed to their last known address with the IRS as well.
  2. Faxing of transcripts will continue until February 4, 2019 (originally scheduled to cease on January 2, 2019, they extended it about 30 days).
  3. At some point prior to February 4, the IRS will complete the process to enable PPS representatives to send all individual transcripts to a representative’s SOR when the POA has not yet cleared the CAF Unit (through the same process we currently use to request PPS fax transcripts to us). This process for new clients, and TDS or mail for clients with a POA on file will be the only methods for representatives to obtain transcripts going forward. Taxpayers can also request transcripts be mailed to their last known address.
  4. The IRS is referring to transcripts other than W&I as “masked” or “redacted” as well. I clarified with them that only that the taxpayer’s social security number will be redacted down to the last four numbers. They assured me nothing else about an account transcript would look different in the “masked” form.
  5. We are hoping to work with the Wage & Investment Division to establish some system to get student attorneys CAF numbers more quickly so they can create eservices accounts early in the semester to access transcripts. This is a work in progress and we will send updates if we make progress.
  6. Business transcripts that are currently available through eservices will also be available through the same method as individual transcripts prior to a POA processing (this is not what the press release said, but I confirmed it is the case and they will be updating their material). The IRS is still working out a plan to replace faxing for a number of “internal transcripts and prints” relevant to the representation of large business entities. This is likely not relevant to this group, but something the Section has addressed in the working group.

The crucial and immediate message here is that anyone who does not currently have an eServices account, should start the process of obtaining an eServices account now. Some people find they can successfully open an account in one session, while others will need to have an activation code mailed to them which takes 7-10 business days. For practitioners who have student attorneys working with you, this is even more important as you will need to make the students delegated users so they can create eServices accounts.

The Tax Section is still part of the working group on this issue, so please feel free to contact me offline (megan.newman@americanbar.org) if you have feedback or questions not covered here.

Thanks,
Meg
——————————
Meg Newman
Chief Counsel
American Bar Association Section of Taxation
(202) 662-8645
megan.newman@americanbar.org

via ABA Tax Connect, Dec. 20, 2018

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