How to Complete IRS Form 4506-T for a Tax Transcript

To complete IRS Form 4506-T for a tax transcript, enter your name, Social Security Number, and address exactly as they appear on the return you’re requesting, check the single box on lines 6, 7, or 8 that matches the transcript type you need, list up to four tax periods on line 9, and sign and date the form within 120 days of the date the IRS will receive it. Most rejections come from small mismatches between what you write and what the IRS already has on file, so the preparation matters as much as the form itself.

Gather This Before You Start

Missing or mismatched information is the top reason the IRS sends requests back. Have these items in front of you before you open the form:

Your full name and SSN or ITIN, spelled and numbered exactly as they appeared on the return you’re requesting. If you changed your name after filing, use the name that was on the return, not your current legal name.
Your spouse’s name and SSN, if the return was filed jointly.
Business name and EIN, if you’re requesting a business transcript instead of a personal one.
Your current mailing address.
The address that appeared on the return you’re requesting, if it’s different from your current address.
The tax form number you filed (1040, 1120, 941, and so on). You can only request one form type per submission.
The tax year or period. A single Form 4506-T covers up to four periods.

Filling Out the Form Line by Line

Lines 1a and 1b. The taxpayer’s name and SSN or ITIN. On a joint return, this is the first name listed on that return.

Lines 2a and 2b. The spouse’s name and SSN, if the transcript covers a joint filing.

Line 3. Your current mailing address: street, city, state, and ZIP.

Line 4. The address that was on the return you’re requesting, only if it differs from Line 3. Leaving this blank when the addresses don’t match is one of the most common causes of rejection, because the IRS uses the comparison to verify your identity.¹

Line 5. An optional customer file number, up to 10 numeric characters. Whatever you enter prints on the transcript itself. Because the IRS now masks SSNs on transcripts (showing only the last four digits), lenders use this number to match the document to your loan file. If your lender gave you a tracking or loan number, put it here. The customer file number cannot contain an SSN.²

Line 9. The end date of each tax period you want, in mm/dd/yyyy format. For calendar-year individuals, that’s usually 12/31 of the year in question. Up to four periods on one form.

Lines 6, 7, and 8 are the transcript selection, and they deserve their own section.

Choosing Between Lines 6, 7, and 8

Only check one box. Requesting the wrong type is a common reason to have to redo the whole process, so confirm with whoever asked you for the transcript exactly which one they need.¹

Line 6 covers three products: the return transcript (line items from the original return as filed), the account transcript (filing status, payments, and any changes made after filing), and the record of account (both combined into one document). You also write the tax form number on Line 6 itself, such as 1040 or 1120. Lenders often ask for the record of account because it shows both the original figures and any later activity.³
Line 7 is the verification of non-filing letter, which confirms the IRS has no processed return on record for a given year.
Line 8 is the wage and income transcript, which summarizes what employers and payers reported to the IRS on W-2, 1099, 1098, and 5498 forms.

Signing and the 120-Day Rule

Complete every other applicable line before you sign. For a joint return, at least one spouse must sign and date the form, and the signatory attestation checkbox next to the signature line must be marked; skipping it is an automatic rejection. The IRS must receive the form within 120 days of the signature date, so don’t sign the form and then let it sit.¹ This one catches people during mortgage applications, when the form gets signed early and then held while other documents come together.

Where to Send It

You can mail or fax the completed form. For individual transcript requests (Form 1040 series, W-2, and 1099), the IRS uses three processing centers, and the right one depends on where you lived when you filed:⁴

Austin, TX 73301 (fax 855-587-9604): Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, foreign countries, and U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Ogden, UT 84409 (fax 855-298-1145): Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Kansas City, MO 64999 (fax 855-821-0094): Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Business transcripts and other non-individual requests route only through Ogden or Kansas City. If your request spans multiple years and the charts point to two different addresses, send everything to the address that matches your most recent return.⁴ Processing normally takes five to ten calendar days after the IRS receives the form, and the transcript is mailed only to the taxpayer’s address of record.³

Your Lender May Actually Need Form 4506-C

If a mortgage lender or bank handed you a request for a transcript, check the form number carefully. Lenders and their verification vendors use Form 4506-C, not 4506-T, because 4506-C authorizes the IRS to release your transcript through the Income Verification Express Service (IVES) directly to the lender, usually within one to two business days.⁵ The 120-day signature rule and the identifying information are the same. If you’re mid-application and unsure which form to complete, ask your loan officer.

When the Shorter Form Is Enough

Form 4506-T-EZ is a simplified version for individuals who only need a tax return transcript for the current year or up to three prior years on a Form 1040-series return.⁶ It has fewer fields. Use the full 4506-T if you need an account transcript, wage and income transcript, verification of non-filing letter, a business return, or anything older than three years.

Faster Ways to Get a Transcript for Yourself

If the transcript is for you and not a third party, you can skip the form entirely. The IRS Get Transcript Online tool, inside your IRS online account, delivers transcripts on screen after you verify your identity through ID.me.⁷ The automated phone line at 800-908-9946 will mail return and account transcripts (current year plus three prior years) within the same five-to-ten-day window without paperwork.³

Rejections to Avoid

Most rejections come from a short list of preventable mistakes:

Name or SSN that doesn’t match the IRS master file. Use the name that was on the return, not a later legal name.
An incomplete or illegible address, or a blank Line 4 when the return address differs from your current address.
A signature more than 120 days old by the time the IRS receives the form.
Missing the signatory attestation checkbox.
Corrections made with white-out, cross-outs, or cut-and-paste fixes. Start with a clean form if you make a mistake.
Partially completed fields or handwriting the IRS can’t read.

One rejection code behaves differently from the rest. A Code 10 rejection signals a potential identity theft or fraud flag on your account, and resubmitting a corrected form won’t clear it. You’ll need to call the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490, and expect that to add weeks before a transcript can be released.

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Internal Revenue Service. Form 4506-T Request for Transcript of Tax Return
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 4506-T Request for Transcript of Tax Return
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Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Types for Individuals and Ways to Order Them
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Internal Revenue Service. Where to File Addresses for Filing Form 4506-T
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Internal Revenue Service. Income Verification Express Service (IVES)
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 4506-T-EZ, Short Form Request for Individual Tax Return Transcript
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Internal Revenue Service. Get Your Tax Records and Transcripts