Tax Pro Account

Tax Pro Account is for authorization requests to individuals. They must have:

An address in a U.S. state or the District of Columbia

The taxpayer address you enter in Tax Pro Account must match our records. Have the taxpayer check their online account or a recent notice from the IRS to confirm the name and address we have on file.

If the taxpayer’s address has changed, ask them to notify us.

An ability to access an IRS online account

You can submit a request before the taxpayer creates an online account. Once the taxpayer creates an account and signs in, they can view and approve your request in their Authorizations.

You can request authorizations for calendar year filers for periods from the last 20 years through the current year, plus 3 future years (except where noted) for:

• Form 1040 Income Tax
• Split Spousal Assessment or Form 8857 Innocent Spouse Relief
• Shared Responsibility Payment (2014 or later)
• Shared Responsibility Payment - Split Spousal Assessment (2014 or later)
• Civil Penalty (limited to periods of March, June, September and December)

Prior authorizations on file for the same tax matters, tax periods and authorization types will be revoked. 

To retain a prior authorization, submit Form 2848 or 8821. Check the retention/revocation box and attach a copy of the authorization you want to retain.

You can get an individual CAF number on Tax Pro Account.

To get a CAF number for a business, submit Form 2848 or 8821.

Check your records for IRS Letter 1727C. We mail this letter when we assign your CAF number after you file your first POA or TIA with Form 2848 or 8821.

If you can’t find your CAF number, contact us.

When you link your CAF number in Tax Pro Account, you associate it with your taxpayer identification number (TIN) in the CAF database.

Benefits:

When you link your CAF number you can:

• View individual and business taxpayer information
• View all your active authorizations recorded on the CAF
• Withdraw in real time from any active authorization

If you choose not to link your CAF number, you can still request POA and TIA with Tax Pro Account.

How it works:

The CAF number must be assigned to you as an individual and only you can link it. If you have more than one CAF number, you may link them all.

Linking your CAF number is a one-time process. Once your CAF number is linked, you can't unlink it.

To link your CAF number, go to your account Profile and select Link a CAF number.

You’ll need to enter your name and address when you request a POA or TIA.

If you haven’t linked your CAF number in Tax Pro Account and you request a POA or TIA, the address you enter must match what’s on the CAF file at the IRS.

To update your CAF address, you can either:

• Submit an authorization with Form 2848 or 8821. On the form, mark the checkbox and enter the new address, phone or fax number.
• Sign and date a written notification of address change. Mail or fax it to the location where you filed the Form 2848 or Form 8821.

Address information can't be updated in Tax Pro Account at this time.

You can view taxpayer information in Tax Pro Account when you link your CAF number.

The taxpayer information shown is limited to the forms and tax periods approved under your authorization.

You can see your history of requests you submitted through Tax Pro Account.

Your approved authorization request should display in Tax Pro Account immediately after the taxpayer approves your request.

Tax Pro Account won't display a status if:

• ​​​​The taxpayer rejected the authorization
• The taxpayer approved the authorization, but the processing failed

For information on your request status before processing is complete, contact the taxpayer.

Tax Pro Account lets you view all of your active authorizations on the CAF when you link your CAF number. This includes active POAs and TIAs from individuals and business entities submitted with forms and through Tax Pro Account.

You can withdraw an authorization in real time in Tax Pro Account.

Once you withdraw, the authorization is immediately removed from the CAF database.

If you need to correct an authorization that the taxpayer approved today, you can submit a new request. If the correction is for the same form and tax period, the taxpayer must wait a day to approve the request.

If you need more options, submit Forms 2848 and 8821.

To request authorization for more than one representative or designee for the same tax matters and periods:

• Each representative/designee must sign in to their account to submit their own request
• Only 2 representatives may receive copies of a taxpayer’s IRS notices and communications
• The taxpayer must authorize all representatives on the same day

Tax Pro Account processes authorizations in real time, without forms. Currently it’s only available for POA and TIA requests to individuals.

Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 online processes authorizations manually on a first-in, first-out basis along with faxed and mailed requests. It lets you securely upload forms to request POA and TIA for individuals and businesses.