In this issue:
- Tax Pro Account – A new version of something old
- Data Security – Are you taking it seriously?
- Time to Sharpen the Saw
This is Dan this week. I am going to keep it short as today is my 27th wedding anniversary and I am going to spend a wonderful day with my wife.
Tax Pro Account – A new version of something old
The IRS released recently that tax professionals can input a Form 2848 and gain immediate access to a client/taxpayer’s tax account. You can access the Tax Pro Account page at irs.gov with this link.
If you already have an eservices account, then there is nothing special for you to do. Just login like you were accessing your online eservices account.
The trick here is that your client also has to have an online IRS Account, which they can do here. If they cannot access an IRS online account, you have to do it the old fashioned way.
This new access is an offshoot of the old DA (Direct Authorization) system, where we could access our eservices account and input directly the Form 2848 and have immediate access to IRS transcripts. The IRS took this away in 2015 due to the risk and potential for fraud. Glad to see there are bring this back, in a new form. Only time will tell to see how successful (or stressful on us) this will be.
I suggest you read the info on the Tax Pro Account page as well as the online IRS Account page in grave detail so you understand the process. It will make life so much easier if you can access the transcripts now than waiting for the CAF to process your POA or waiting hours to talk to PPS.
Data Security – Are you taking it seriously?
I have been attending the IRS Tax Forum for almost the last 13 years. As an experienced tax pro, I don’t learn a ton of new things, but I do get a few good nuggets of information each year. There are also a number of topics that you see year after year that you have to get the feeling they are trying to tell you something.
Data Security is just one of those topics. If you are not already getting enough emails (yeah, I know that is an LOL moment), then I suggest you sign up for the IRS email alerts. There is a lot of good information and they provide some good links to information they are providing tax pros as well as taxpayers. You can register for any of these emails here.
Remember Colonial Pipeline and any of the other companies that have been hit with ransomware lately. You are not too small for a hacker. Keep in mind you have some of the best information they can get to profit from. If you don$B!G(Bt remember, that is a taxpayer$B!G(Bs SSN, DOB and bank info. Do what you can to protect it. Take the steps to secure that data. Yes, that means you are going to need to spend some serious money, but trust me, you are not going to like the cost in terms of time and dollars later if you do get hacked.
Time to Sharpen the Saw
If you have ever read the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective Individuals by Stephen Covey, then you know that one of the seven habits is Sharpening the Saw. This means that you need to be continually learning. If you are on this email, I assume most of you are licensed tax pros and you have a legal requirement to maintain your license by completing some minimal amount of continuing education. In Florida, I have to do 80 hours ever 2 years. Not only that but it has to include 8 hours of Accounting and Auditing credit and 4 hours of Ethics (gag me with a spoon on A&A).
I probably do way more than 80 hours in one year, but it is very important to keep learning. That is why if you want to learn more about taxpayer representation, you should join with us in the CTRTM program. We have almost 120 hours of continuing education related to collection and exam representation with the IRS. It is a pretty darn good program if I do say so myself.
If you are interested in joining us, then I invite you to become part of the Tax Resolution Academy®. You can find out more information by clicking the link or going to Taxresolutionacademy.com/join. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Otherwise, have a great weekend and until next time stay healthy and safe.
~Dan Henn, CPA, CTR, CTC
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