IRS resources during COVID-19 May 2020 Tax News

We have received questions from taxpayers about how to obtain information from the IRS during this difficult time. Please be advised the following information we are providing is from the IRS and may be subject to change:
In its efforts to protect employees, we have been advised IRS services are limited. For example:

• The IRS is unable to process paper tax returns, respond to paper correspondence or staff toll-free live service lines.
• IRS operations to process third-party authorizations are now closed. The IRS has asked that taxpayers not fax requests for Centralized Authorization File (CAF) numbers until further notice.
• The IRS's Income Verification Express Service also is temporarily on hold.

The IRS suggests the following alternatives for tax administration purposes:

• On Get Transcript Online, you can create an account to verify your or a client's identity and immediately review or print a tax transcript.  The IRS has indicated that the Get Transcript by mail option is not currently available.
• Use all electronic options available to you on IRS.gov or through your tax software provider.
• For additional information, please see the IRS News Release "IRS urges taxpayers to use electronic options; outlines online assistance".

The federal government is also providing relief and extended filing deadlines. Here is a link to the IRS’s Coronavirus Tax Relief webpage with the extended deadlines and other helpful information.

Check on the status of your or your client’s Economic Impact Payment

The IRS has developed an application that can give you information about payment status and type and whether more information is needed. Go to Get My Payment for more information.

The IRS has encouraged tax professionals to spread the word to their clients about how to make sure people receive their Economic Impact Payment (EIP) as quickly as possible through direct deposit. While the IRS has indicated many taxpayers will automatically receive a direct-deposit payment, there are still many others who are not in the IRS system and will need to take action to ensure they receive their EIP.

The IRS has developed two posters for distribution – one about payment amounts and eligibility and the other about how to file your 2018/2019 return .

The IRS encourages everyone to be on the lookout for a surge of calls and email phishing attempts about the Coronavirus or COVID-19. These contacts can lead to tax-related fraud and identity theft. Go to Notice IR-2020-64 for more information.

Social media and e-news

The IRS encourages taxpayers to follow the IRS on social media and to sign up for e-news subscriptions for urgent updates on COVID-19, scams, and economic impact payment information. The IRS also uses several social media tools that can provide information. Please see IRS Notice IR 2020-65 for more information on IRS’ social media tools.

In addition, taxpayers can also get automatic updates by email. The IRS e-News Subscription service issues tax information by email for many different audiences. It provides tips, tools and helpful materials of interest to taxpayers and organizations. The IRS offers subscription services tailored to tax exempt and government entities, small and large businesses as well as individuals. The service is easy to use; sign up by visiting IRS e-News Subscriptions.