How to Complete Form 4506-C for Business Returns: Lines and Signatures

To complete Form 4506-C for business returns, use the October 2022 revision, enter your business name and EIN exactly as they appear on the return you want transcripts of, list your current address and (if different) the address on that return, fill in the IVES participant and client company details your lender gives you on lines 5a and 5d, put a single form number on line 6, list the tax period end dates on line 8, and sign with the right authority for your entity within 120 days of submission. Everything else on the form follows from those choices, and almost every rejection traces back to one of them.

Gather This Before You Start

Pull your most recently filed business return and have it open while you work. The name, EIN, and address on the form have to match that return character-for-character. A missing “LLC,” a suite number left off, or an old address will send the request back.

You also need four pieces of information from your lender that you cannot get anywhere else: the IVES participant name, the participant ID number, the SOR mailbox ID, and the client company information for line 5d.¹ If your lender has not sent these, stop and ask. The form cannot be submitted without them, and you cannot fill them in yourself.

Confirm you are using the October 2022 revision. The IRS will not accept older versions.¹

Lines 1 Through 4: Name, EIN, and Addresses

Line 1a is the name on the return. For a corporation, partnership, or LLC, put the full legal entity name (including “Inc.” or “LLC”) in the last-name field. For a sole proprietor, use your personal first name, middle initial, and last name in the individual fields.²

Line 1b is the taxpayer identification number tied to that return: your EIN for an entity, or your SSN if you filed as a sole proprietor under your personal number. Include the dashes in the standard format.²

Line 3 is your current mailing address, including a P.O. Box if that is where IRS mail goes. Line 4 is only for cases where the business address has changed since the last filing; enter the address that appeared on that return. The IRS checks both lines against its master file, and a mismatch here is one of the most common reasons for rejection. If you recently changed your address with the IRS, you can attach a signed Form 8822, but the address on the 8822 must still match one of the addresses on your 4506-C.³

Lines 5a Through 5d: What Your Lender Provides

These lines tell the IRS where to send the transcripts. Use only what your lender supplies.

Line 5a is the IVES participant: name, participant ID number, SOR mailbox ID, and address. Line 5a must be completed before you sign the form.¹
Line 5b is an optional customer file number of up to 10 digits, useful for lender tracking. It cannot contain any part of your SSN, ITIN, or EIN.²
Line 5c is an optional 10-character unique identifier, with the same restriction on taxpayer identification numbers.
Line 5d is the client company name, telephone number, and address. If the IVES participant is also the client company, repeat the same information from 5a. This line cannot be blank or “N/A.”²

Do not alter lines 5a or 5d after completing them. Any crossed-out text, white-out, or overwriting on these lines results in automatic rejection.⁴ If you make a mistake, start over with a clean form.

Line 6: Form Number and Transcript Type

Enter one form number on line 6, matching the return you actually filed:

Form 1120 for C corporations
Form 1120-S for S corporations
Form 1065 for partnerships and most multi-member LLCs
Form 1040 for sole proprietors (your Schedule C is inside your personal return)

Only one form number per request. If your lender needs transcripts for more than one return type, submit a separate 4506-C for each.² Line 6 cannot be blank, and listing multiple form numbers here will cause rejection.⁴

Then check one of three boxes for the transcript format:

6a, Return Transcript: most line items from the original return as filed. Available for Forms 1040, 1065, 1120, 1120-H, 1120-L, and 1120-S.²
6b, Account Transcript: filing status, taxable income, payment types, and any post-filing changes.⁵
6c, Record of Account: both of the above combined.⁵

Your lender should tell you which one they want. If they do not, the return transcript is the standard for income verification.

Line 8: Tax Periods

List the ending date of each tax year you need, in mm/dd/yyyy format. Calendar-year businesses use 12/31/YYYY; a fiscal year ending June 30 would be 06/30/YYYY.² Line 8 holds up to four periods. Need more? Submit another form.

Each period listed must correspond to a return you actually filed under the form number on line 6. If the IRS cannot match the request to a return on the master file, the transcript comes back as “no account on master file” and the request is rejected.³

If You File as a Sole Proprietor

Sole proprietor income sits on Schedule C of Form 1040, not on a separate business return. Fill line 1a with your personal name (first, middle initial, last), line 1b with your SSN, and line 6 with “1040.”² The return transcript the IRS produces will include your Schedule C data as part of the full 1040.

Filed jointly? Both spouses go on lines 1a-1b and 2a-2b, and both generally must sign.

Who Can Sign for a Business

The signer attests to having authority to obtain the transcript. Authority depends on entity type:²

Corporations: an officer with authority to bind the corporation, a person designated by the board, or an officer or employee acting on the written request of a principal officer (attested by the secretary or another officer). A shareholder holding 1 percent or more of outstanding stock may sign but must provide supporting documentation.
Partnerships: any person who was a member of the partnership during any part of the tax period requested on line 8.
LLCs: a managing member. The attestation clause on the form specifically names “managing member” as an authorized signer.
Trusts: the trustee.
Sole proprietors: the individual owner.

A CPA, attorney, or other third party can sign only with a valid Form 2848 that expressly authorizes execution of Form 4506-C. Attach the 2848 and check the “Authorized Representative” box.²

Whoever signs must also check the attestation box and print their name below the signature. A missing checkbox or missing printed name triggers rejection.⁴

Signing Electronically

Electronic signatures are accepted, but you have to check the “Electronically Signed” box on the form. Skipping the checkbox causes rejection.⁴

The signature itself has to meet IRS technical standards: sole control of the signer, unique to the individual, applied in a tamper-evident way using industry-standard encryption, with the document sealed after signing so that changes are detectable. An audit log has to accompany the document showing the signing date and time, the signer’s IP address, the authentication result, and the outcome of each signature step.⁶ Stamped signatures are not accepted, even applied electronically, because a stamp does not carry the authentication metadata the IRS requires.

The 120-Day Clock and How the Form Gets to the IRS

Once signed, the form goes back to the lender, who faxes it (as the IVES participant) to their assigned processing unit in Austin, Kansas City, or Ogden with a cover sheet identifying the participant and each taxpayer on the batch. Submissions without a proper cover sheet are not processed.¹

The IRS must receive the form within 120 days of the signature date. Past 120 days, the form is rejected.² If a loan stalls, you may need to re-sign with a fresh date.

After acceptance, IVES participants typically receive transcripts within two to three business days, excluding weekends and holidays.⁷

Check These Before Sending It Back

Most rejections come from the same handful of errors. Run the form against this list:

Address on line 3 or line 4 matches IRS records. If your address changed, an attached Form 8822 has to show an old address that still matches one of the addresses on the 4506-C.³
Lines 5a and 5d are both complete. No blanks, no “N/A,” no more than one company per line.⁴
No alterations on lines 5a or 5d. No white-out, no cross-outs, no overwrites.
Line 6 has one form number, matching a return you filed.⁴
Signature, printed name, attestation checkbox, and signature date are all present. Electronic signature? “Electronically Signed” box is checked.
Name and EIN (or SSN) match IRS records exactly. A mismatch produces a “no account on master file” rejection.³

Fees You May See on Closing

The IRS charges IVES participants $4.00 per transcript.³ Lenders commonly pass this through as a closing cost or application fee. The fee applies even when the IRS cannot locate a record, when a request is rejected, or when a duplicate is filed.⁸ Each tax period and each form type is a separate transcript, so three years of 1120 transcripts means three fees.

One boundary worth noting: Form 4506-C is only the IVES route, where the IRS sends transcripts to your lender. If you want transcripts sent to yourself, that is Form 4506-T, a different form.⁹ If a lender handed you the 4506-C, use it; do not substitute the 4506-T.

1
Internal Revenue Service. Getting Started Using IVES
2
Internal Revenue Service. Form 4506-C IVES Request for Transcript of Tax Return
3
Internal Revenue Service. IRM 3.5.20 Income Verification Express Service (IVES) – Processing Requests for Tax Return/Return Information
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Internal Revenue Service. IVES User Fee; Wage and Income Updates
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Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Types for Individuals and Ways to Order Them
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Internal Revenue Service. How to Get Started Using IVES Electronic Signature
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Internal Revenue Service. Income Verification Express Service Faxing for Participants
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Internal Revenue Service. IRS Income Verification Express Service (IVES) FAQs
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return