IRS starts tax pro Web service
The agency says it can speed up the processing of a tax preparer application and cut down on errors.
The Internal Revenue Service today launched the first in a suite of Web-based services for tax professionals and financial institutions.
The e-services suite will include many other tools and capabilities, and the initial set provides the basics to get started: online registration and applications for preparer tax identification numbers, and interactive taxpayer identification numbers for banks and other institutions that must submit returns subject to backup withholding.
By moving each of these services online, the IRS can reduce the time it takes to process an application as well as reduce errors, according to agency officials.
"These new e-services begin a series of steps that will improve how tax professionals interact with the IRS," Commissioner Mark Everson said in a statement.
Future services will include a new e-file application and an electronic account resolution capability, IRS officials said.
Past services stemming from enhancements to the agency's Business Systems Modernization program include individuals' ability to check the status of their refunds on the IRS Web site, and for employers to apply for and receive identification numbers online.
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