How to Become an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent

To become an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent, you complete two required training courses, submit an electronic application through the IRS e-Services portal, pass an IRS background check, and electronically sign the Acceptance Agent Agreement. The full process takes roughly 60 days from submission to approval. Once approved, a CAA is authorized to authenticate identity documents and help people who cannot get a Social Security number apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) using Form W-7.

Who Can Apply

The IRS limits the Acceptance Agent Program to specific categories of individuals and organizations with a business reason to help people file taxes. Eligible applicants include financial institutions, colleges and universities tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3), federal agencies, state and local governments (including vital records agencies), casinos, community-based organizations tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(d), tax return preparers such as CPAs and Enrolled Agents, and other categories authorized by Treasury guidance.¹

Every person listed as a responsible party must be at least 18. Your business needs an Employer Identification Number (EIN) before you apply. Paid tax return preparers also need a valid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). An Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN) is not required; the IRS specifically warns that including an EFIN that doesn’t match your EIN or business address can trigger an error in the application.²

Complete the Two Required Trainings

Before submitting the application, every responsible party on it must individually complete two courses.

ITIN Acceptance Agent Training

This mandatory course is available on IRS.gov and covers the ITIN application process and program rules. Every responsible party listed on the application must complete it before the application is submitted.³

Forensic Document Training

CAA applicants also complete a separate forensic document course that teaches how to detect forged or altered identity documents, covering watermarks, holographic images, and other security features on passports and national identity cards.⁴ The IRS recommends confirming that any provider you choose covers the documents required for Form W-7, includes a testing component, and mails you an original certificate of completion. Some forensic training is available at no cost through the IRS Stakeholder Partnerships, Education, and Communication (SPEC) organization; private vendors charge fees that vary. A forensic training certificate stays valid for four years, so you won’t need to retake it within that window at renewal.²

Submit the Application Through e-Services

Paper applications are no longer accepted. Everything runs through the IRS e-Services portal.²

Register First

Every person named on the application, except contacts, needs an e-Services account. You sign in through ID.me, the third-party identity verification service; if you don’t already have an ID.me account, you create one during registration. First-time e-Services users also set up a five-digit PIN, which you’ll use later to sign the agreement and submit the application.⁵

Fill Out the Application

From the ITIN Acceptance Agent Program page on IRS.gov, open the application, sign in through ID.me, select “Individual” on the personality level page, then choose “Acceptance Agent Application” from the New Application dropdown. The application collects:

Firm information: legal name, EIN, and business address.
Authorized users: at minimum a Principal, Partner, or Owner of the Business (PPO), a Responsible Party (RP), and a Primary Contact.
Suitability questions at both the firm and individual level.
Jurat and electronic signature from each responsible party.

After you submit, wait 24 hours before uploading supporting documents through the CAA Documentation Upload Tool. Required uploads include forensic training certificates, professional credentials, citizenship documents, and nonprofit exemption letters where applicable.³

Background Check and IRS Review

The IRS runs its own background and suitability screening. Fingerprint cards are not currently required; you answer suitability questions about your personal and professional history directly in the electronic application.² Processing can take up to 60 days while the IRS verifies your credentials, training, and background. You can watch the status through the e-Services portal.

Sign the Acceptance Agent Agreement

When the IRS preliminarily approves your application, the status in e-Services changes to “Pending Agreement Signature.” You then electronically sign the Acceptance Agent Agreement, which spells out your legal duties: accurate verification of identity documents, proper handling of applicant information, and maintenance of records. After signing, the status moves to “Pending Agreement Approval.” Once the IRS gives final approval, the status changes to “Approved” and you are officially a Certified Acceptance Agent.²

There is no IRS fee to process the application. Your out-of-pocket costs are the forensic training (if you pick a paid provider) and any professional licenses you already maintain.

What the Role Requires Once You’re Approved

As a CAA, you can charge clients for ITIN application services at a rate you set; the IRS does not fix a rate.⁶ For each client you complete Form W-7 on their behalf, conduct an in-person interview (video conferencing is allowed for the interview, though the document review must happen with originals in hand), authenticate their identity documents, attach a signed Certificate of Accuracy (Form W-7 COA) confirming you personally reviewed the documents and believe them authentic, and mail the package to the IRS ITIN Operation.³

A CAA can authenticate most identity documents for primary and secondary taxpayers (except foreign military identification cards) and return the originals to the applicant on the spot. For dependents, a CAA can authenticate passports and civil birth certificates; other originals still have to be forwarded to the IRS.³

You must keep copies of client files, including the identity documents you reviewed and the applications you submitted, for three years. The IRS may schedule on-site compliance reviews at your business to verify you’re following program requirements, and failure to cooperate with those reviews or with requests from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration can end your participation in the program.¹

Renewal Cycle

An Acceptance Agent Agreement expires on December 31 of the fourth year after your approval date. Renewal can happen only during the year the agreement expires, and the IRS recommends starting at least six months before expiration. The renewal itself mirrors a new application: retake the ITIN Acceptance Agent training, retake forensic document training if your certificate is more than four years old, and submit the electronic application. Every responsible party on the renewal must individually complete the training and sign.²

1
Internal Revenue Service. IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Acceptance Agent Program
2
Internal Revenue Service. Acceptance Agent Application Frequently Asked Questions
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Internal Revenue Service. ITIN Acceptance Agent Program
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Internal Revenue Service. Forensic Training
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Internal Revenue Service. Acceptance Agent Application Tutorial
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Internal Revenue Service. How to Apply for an ITIN