The IRS Tax Pro Account is a free online portal where authorized tax professionals submit and manage client authorization requests digitally instead of faxing or mailing Forms 2848 and 8821. A practitioner enters the request, the client approves it through their own IRS Online Account, and the authorization typically posts to the Centralized Authorization File (CAF) database in real time or within 48 hours.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pros Can Use Their IRS Tax Pro Account to Simplify Authorization Requests The portal currently handles individual-taxpayer authorizations, with a business-firm expansion that began in February 2026.
Who Can Register and Use It
Any tax professional can create a Tax Pro Account and use it to request a Tax Information Authorization, which grants viewing rights to a client’s records. Requesting a Power of Attorney, which lets you represent the client before the IRS, is narrower. Only practitioners authorized to practice before the IRS can submit a POA through the portal: attorneys, certified public accountants, enrolled agents, enrolled actuaries, and enrolled retirement plan agents.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
You’ll need a CAF number, the nine-digit identifier the IRS assigns when you file your first authorization. If you don’t have one, the system assigns it during your first request. Linking your CAF number to your account is a one-time step that ties it to your Social Security number or ITIN in the CAF database. Once linked, you can see every active authorization across your clients and withdraw from any of them in real time. You can still submit requests without linking, but the address you enter has to match what the IRS has on your CAF file exactly.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Access requires identity verification through ID.me, which involves uploading a government-issued photo ID, taking a video selfie, and providing personal information. The verification meets NIST 800-63-3 IAL2 standards. If you already have an ID.me account through another government agency, the same credentials work.3ID.me Help Center. ID.me and IRS FAQs
How a Digital Authorization Request Works
You log into your Tax Pro Account and create either a Power of Attorney or a Tax Information Authorization request. Enter your client’s information exactly as it appears on IRS records. The name and address have to match, so it helps to have the client pull a recent IRS notice or check their own Online Account before you start.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Once submitted, the request appears in the taxpayer’s individual IRS Online Account. The client logs in, reviews the type of authorization, the specific tax matters, and the tax years covered, then approves it electronically by checking a box and submitting. The secure login serves as the electronic signature.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pros Can Use Their IRS Tax Pro Account to Simplify Authorization Requests
Most approved authorizations post immediately to both the Tax Pro Account and the CAF. Some take up to 48 hours. Either way is dramatically faster than the paper route, where faxed or mailed forms can sit in a processing queue for weeks.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pros Can Use Their IRS Tax Pro Account to Simplify Authorization Requests
When the Digital Path Isn’t Available
The portal only handles individual taxpayers with a U.S. address in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Business entity authorizations for partnerships, corporations, and similar entities are not yet available through the digital request workflow.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
The workflow also depends on the client being able to log into their IRS Online Account, which requires clearing ID.me. Some clients lack the required photo ID, some run into trouble with the selfie step, and some just aren’t comfortable with the process. When a client can’t verify online, you fall back to paper: Form 2848 for Power of Attorney or Form 8821 for Tax Information Authorization, signed by the client and submitted by fax, mail, or through the IRS’s separate online upload tool for forms.4Internal Revenue Service. Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 Online Practitioners who work with elderly clients or clients in rural areas without reliable internet often end up on the paper track more than the digital one.
What an Active Authorization Lets You Do
Your access is strictly limited to the tax forms and tax periods listed in the approved authorization. A Tax Information Authorization lets you view records. A Power of Attorney lets you view records and act on the client’s behalf.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
With an active authorization, you can view the client’s individual account information, including balances owed for specific tax years, and pull tax transcripts through the Transcript Delivery System.5Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Delivery System (TDS) With a Power of Attorney you can also make payments for the client, and set up or modify installment agreements through the portal.6Internal Revenue Service. Get Ready for the Filing Season and Save Time With Tax Pro Account One detail to watch: only two representatives on a given authorization can receive copies of IRS notices sent to the taxpayer, even if additional representatives are listed.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Managing, Withdrawing, and Revoking
A Power of Attorney filed through the Tax Pro Account stays in effect indefinitely until someone ends it. There is no built-in expiration. The taxpayer can revoke it, or you can withdraw from it.7Internal Revenue Service. Power of Attorney and Other Authorizations Once you’ve linked your CAF number, you can withdraw from any active authorization in real time from inside the portal, and the withdrawal removes the authorization from the CAF immediately.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
If a taxpayer later authorizes a new representative for the same tax matters and periods, the new authorization automatically revokes the earlier one, unless the taxpayer checks a retention box during the approval to keep the prior representative in place.8Internal Revenue Service. Know the Different Types of Authorizations for Third-Party Representatives
The February 2026 Business Expansion
In February 2026, the IRS announced an expansion of the Tax Pro Account that extends its capabilities to firms operating under a business CAF number. It matters for accounting firms and tax preparation companies where multiple professionals work under a shared business identity.9Internal Revenue Service. IRS Announces Next Expansion of Tax Pro Account to Support Tax Professional Businesses
The new features let a designated business representative link the firm’s business CAF number to its Employer Identification Number, manage which employees are authorized to act under the business CAF, view taxpayer information tied to the business CAF within the scope of active authorizations, and view or withdraw active authorizations on the firm’s behalf. The IRS has described this as the foundation for further expansions, but has not announced a timeline for features like submitting new authorizations for corporate or partnership clients.9Internal Revenue Service. IRS Announces Next Expansion of Tax Pro Account to Support Tax Professional Businesses
Security and Practitioner Duties
The portal provides direct access to sensitive taxpayer data, and the IRS treats misuse accordingly. Practitioners who access or disclose client information without proper authorization face civil and criminal penalties under the Internal Revenue Code, and unauthorized disclosure of return information can be treated as disreputable conduct under Circular 230.
Firms are expected to maintain internal controls and data security safeguards over employees who access taxpayer records, and a responsible practitioner within a firm can face discipline for failing to put reasonable compliance procedures in place. Practically, review your active authorizations in the Tax Pro Account on a regular schedule, withdraw from any that no longer reflect a current client relationship, and keep your CAF clean. Stale authorizations create risk without benefit.