Do not forget that backlog of unopened IRS correspondence? The company is taking one other step in the direction of providing taxpayers a substitute for including to the pile: taxpayers who obtain particular notices requiring them to ship info to the IRS now have the choice of submitting their documentation on-line by means of IRS.gov.

Backlog

How dangerous is the backlog? In line with the Nationwide Taxpayer Advocate, the IRS had 29 million tax returns and correspondence on the finish of the final submitting season. Weeks earlier than the beginning of the present tax season—as of Dec. 9, 2022—the IRS nonetheless had about 5.1 million items of taxpayer correspondence and Accounts Administration instances (excluding amended returns) in addition to 2.6 million paper tax returns and an extra 1.5 million amended returns to course of.

The end result? Pissed off taxpayers. The IRS believes that this new course of might change that.

Beforehand, taxpayers and their tax professionals had a handful of choices for responding to IRS notices—telephone calls, letters, or faxes. (Sure, the IRS nonetheless makes use of faxes, however not electronic mail, for correspondence.)

Relevant Notices

Now, the IRS will permit taxpayers and tax professionals to add paperwork electronically. Initially, the net correspondence function will likely be obtainable to taxpayers who obtain one among 9 IRS notices:

• CP04, referring to fight zone standing.
• CP05A, info request associated to a refund.
• CP06 and CP06A, referring to the Premium Tax Credit score.
• CP08, referring to the Baby Tax Credit score.
• CP09, referring to claiming the Earned Earnings Tax Credit score.
• CP75, referring to the EITC.
• CP75a, referring to the EITC.
• CP75d, referring to the EITC and different credit.

Taxpayers who obtain these notices can reply securely to IRS on-line, even when they do not have an IRS On-line Account.

How You’ll Know

In case your discover is on the record, the IRS will embrace language in your mailing that claims, “Ship us your paperwork utilizing the Documentation Add Software inside 30 days from the date of this discover.” The discover will embrace a hyperlink and distinctive entry code.

You may open the hyperlink in any browser and enter your distinctive code, identify, and Social Safety, Particular person Taxpayer Identification, or Worker Identification quantity. Then, you may securely add scans, pictures, or digital copies of paperwork—a most of 15MB per file, as much as 40 information. You will obtain a affirmation that the IRS obtained your paperwork.

As soon as the paperwork are uploaded, the IRS consultant who’s working your case will be capable to reply to you.

Affect

The IRS estimates that greater than 500,000 taxpayers obtain these notices every year.

“This functionality is one other step ahead by the IRS to assist taxpayers and enhance service,” stated IRS Performing Commissioner Doug O’Donnell. “This offers rapid advantages to taxpayers, who’ve almost instantaneous affirmation that paperwork had been obtained by the IRS. In flip, this may dramatically pace up the decision of points by eradicating a time-consuming step within the course of. This implies individuals can have their points resolved a lot sooner, together with getting refunds to affected taxpayers sooner.”

Future Providers

The IRS plans to broaden this system to incorporate different notices. As well as, the IRS will supply the chance to make use of digital correspondence on numerous different taxpayer interactions. Throughout reside interactions similar to telephone calls with taxpayers, IRS workers will be capable to grant add entry by offering the hyperlink and distinctive entry code—making it simpler and sooner to reply.