IRS Launches Secure Online Document Upload Feature for Taxpayers
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently announced that taxpayers who receive certain notices requesting them to send information to the IRS now have the option of submitting their documentation online through the IRS.gov website.
This new feature allows taxpayers and their tax professionals to electronically upload documents rather than mailing them in, reducing the time and effort required to resolve tax issues.
The IRS has made available nine notices for this feature, potentially benefiting over 500,000 taxpayers each year. This includes military personnel serving in combat zone areas and recipients of important credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
According to IRS Acting Commissioner Doug O'Donnell:
"This capability is another step forward by the IRS to help taxpayers and improve service. This provides immediate benefits to taxpayers, who have nearly instant confirmation that documents were received by the IRS. In turn, this will dramatically speed up the resolution of issues by removing a time-consuming step in the process."
Initially, the online correspondence feature will be available to taxpayers who receive one of nine IRS notices, which include various tax benefits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Premium Tax Credit. Taxpayers receiving these notices can respond securely to the IRS online, regardless of whether they have an IRS Online Account.
Document Upload Tool Prototype
The IRS developed a prototype for the Document Upload Tool in 2021, and since then, the agency has been testing this feature on a limited number of exam-related notices. The language on the notice instructs the taxpayer to "Send us your documents using the Documentation Upload Tool within 30 days from the date of this notice." It includes the link and a unique access code.
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Once the taxpayer opens the link and inputs their unique code, first and last name, and their Social Security, Individual Taxpayer Identification, or Employee Identification number, they can securely upload scans, photos, or digital copies of documents, up to 15MB per file and 40 files.
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The taxpayer receives a confirmation that the IRS received their documents, and the assigned IRS employee can manage the transmitted documents.
What’s Next?
In the coming months and years, the IRS plans to expand this capability to dozens of other notices and offer digital correspondence on a variety of other taxpayer interactions.
To Sum Up
This new option, announced by the IRS on Feb 16, allows tax pros or their clients to electronically upload documents via a secure online portal rather than mailing that paperwork to the IRS, thus reducing time and effort resolving tax issues.