Written by Catherine Kruse
On June 1st, Senior Accountant Jake Shockley and Client Service Manager Catherine Kruse presented on the IRS homepage and why it might be time to embrace the options that the IRS offers. While many taxpayers feel very strongly against being on their radar, the new technology that “The Service” offers is definitely an advantage in the long run. Don’t miss their next webinars on August 3rd and September 7th on submitting a power of attorney through the IRS site and making an estimated tax payment!
When clients receive IRS notices, more times than not, HKA will need to speak with the IRS in order to get it resolved. There are multiple reasons for this ranging from needing to put a hold on your account to finding out why the IRS changed a number on the tax return. Sometimes, a single phone call can allow us to get the problem corrected. Before we can do this, though, we will need to obtain a Form 2848, or a Power of Attorney, on your behalf.
Understandably, asking a client to provide us with a document whose name carries such weight, can be a stressful event. However, this particular power of attorney only grants us the right to speak with the IRS on your behalf and obtain a copy of your account. The power of attorney does not:
- Give us any legal rights
- Provide us with the ability to sign or send your tax return without your consent
- See your banking or other financial information
- Allow us to speak with any entity other than the Internal Revenue Service.
It can be stressful to obtain the form after you have already received a notice, and the IRS does offer an option which allows you to upload one through your IRS account so that it always has a record on file of whether or not HKA can speak with it. The process is fairly painless and can be done in just a few simple steps!
How to upload the power of attorney:
- First, you will need to contact HKA so that they can send you a version with your CPA’s name and signature.
- After you (and your spouse, if you are married) sign the power of attorney, you will log into your IRS account here: https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account
- Click on “Authorizations” in your Dashboard once you are logged in:
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the option to “Submit” a Form 2848:
- You will then need to click that you would like to submit one again.
- From there, you will answer a set of questions regarding how you signed, whether you are a domestic resident of the United States, etc.
- Then, you will type in your social security number, attach the form, and click Submit!
After completing this process for myself and my husband, I received an immediate e-mail from the IRS and also a paper letter mailed to us acknowledging receipt of the power of attorney. Now, if we ever get a notice, we are ready for HKA to help us out.
If you have some free time and would like to go ahead and submit your POA online, feel free to give us a call and we would be happy to walk you through the process. You can always reach us at (314) 993-4285 or office@hkaglobal.com.
