Inactive Tax Pros Need to Act to Avoid Having to Recertify their E-Services Accounts
In a QuickAlert, the IRS is reminding tax professionals, who have not had any activity in their e-Services account in the past two years, to log into their e-Services accounts before the end of 2020, in order to avoid having to recertify their accounts.
In order to use IRS e-Services, practitioners must obtain secure access authorization (SAA). SAA requires practitioners to verify their identity online using an email address, a cell phone and a credit card. A practitioner who cannot verify their identity using the online method can obtain secure access authorization by verifying their identity in person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC).
Recertify before end of year. Beginning January 1, 2021, tax professionals with an e-Services account will be required to recertify their account if it has been inactive for two years. The IRS considers an e-Services account inactive if the account holder has not logged into the account for two years. To recertify an account, a tax professional will be required to obtain secure access authorization (SAA). Tax professionals who are unable to pass the online identity verification process to obtain SSA will need to:
- Contact the e-help desk for exception processing, which will delay the tax professional’s access to e-Services because it involves sending an activation code by postal mail, or
- Verify their identity in person at a TAC.
