The IRS Tax Pro Account is a free online portal where authorized tax professionals submit digital Power of Attorney and Tax Information Authorization requests, then have clients approve them electronically through the client’s own IRS Online Account. Approved authorizations usually post to the IRS Centralized Authorization File (CAF) in real time, and sometimes within 48 hours, replacing the paper Form 2848 and Form 8821 route that can sit in a fax queue for weeks. The portal currently handles authorizations for individual taxpayers only, though a February 2026 expansion began adding business-CAF features for firms.
Who Can Register and What You Need
Any tax professional can register for a Tax Pro Account and use it to request a Tax Information Authorization, which grants view-only access to a client’s records. Requesting a Power of Attorney is more restrictive. 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.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
You need a CAF number, the nine-digit identifier the IRS assigns when a professional files their first authorization. If you don’t already have one, the system will assign it during your first request. Linking your CAF number in the Tax Pro 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. Skip the linking step and you can still submit requests, but the address you enter has to match your CAF file exactly.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Access runs through ID.me. You upload a government-issued photo ID, record a video selfie, and provide personal information. If you already have an ID.me account from another government agency, those credentials work here.2ID.me Help Center. ID.me and IRS FAQs
How the Digital Authorization Flow Works
The request starts on your side. Log in, create a Power of Attorney or Tax Information Authorization request, and enter your client’s information exactly as it appears on IRS records. Names and addresses have to match, so it helps to have the taxpayer pull a recent IRS notice or check their own Online Account before you start.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Once submitted, the request lands 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 by checking a box and submitting. Their secure login serves as the electronic signature.3Internal 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 database. Some take up to 48 hours.3Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pros Can Use Their IRS Tax Pro Account to Simplify Authorization Requests The digital path is limited to individual taxpayers with a U.S. address in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Authorizations for partnerships, corporations, and other business entities are not yet available through the portal.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
When the Client Cannot Verify Their Identity
The whole flow depends on the taxpayer completing ID.me verification and logging into their own Online Account to approve. Not every client will clear that. Some lack the necessary photo ID, some run into trouble with the selfie step, some aren’t comfortable with the process.
When that happens, the Tax Pro Account path is unavailable and you fall back to the traditional method: a paper Form 2848 for Power of Attorney or Form 8821 for Tax Information Authorization, signed by the client and submitted by fax, mail, or the IRS’s separate online form upload tool.4Internal Revenue Service. Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 Online Practitioners who work with elderly clients or clients without reliable internet access should expect to keep using paper more often than the portal.
What an Approved Authorization Lets You Do
Access depends on which authorization the client approved, and it’s strictly limited to the specific tax forms and tax periods listed on it. A Tax Information Authorization is view-only. A Power of Attorney lets you both view records and act on the client’s behalf before the IRS.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
With an active authorization you can pull individual account information, including balances owed for specific tax years, and retrieve transcripts through the Transcript Delivery System, including account transcripts showing transaction history and wage and income transcripts summarizing Forms W-2 and 1099.5Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Delivery System (TDS)
A Power of Attorney goes further. You can make payments on the client’s behalf and set up or modify installment agreements directly through the portal.6Internal Revenue Service. Get Ready for the Filing Season and Save Time With Tax Pro Account One limit to plan around: only two representatives on a given authorization can receive copies of IRS notices sent to the taxpayer, even if more representatives are listed.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Managing, Correcting, and Ending Authorizations
A Power of Attorney filed through the Tax Pro Account has no built-in expiration. It stays in effect until someone actively ends it, whether the taxpayer revokes it or the professional withdraws.7Internal Revenue Service. Power of Attorney and Other Authorizations
If you’ve linked your CAF number, you can withdraw from any active authorization in real time from inside the account, and the withdrawal removes it from the CAF database immediately.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
When a taxpayer authorizes a new representative for the same tax matters and periods, the new authorization automatically revokes the prior one, unless the taxpayer checks a retention box during approval to keep the earlier representative in place.8Internal Revenue Service. Know the Different Types of Authorizations for Third-Party Representatives If you need to correct an authorization that was approved the same day, you can submit a new request for the same form and tax period, but the taxpayer has to wait a day before approving the corrected version.1Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account
Tax Pro Account vs. Individual IRS Online Account
These are two separate systems, and the similar names cause constant confusion. The Tax Pro Account is for authorized practitioners managing their practice. The individual IRS Online Account is a self-service portal where taxpayers manage their own tax affairs and, among other things, approve or view pending authorization requests from a professional.9Internal Revenue Service. Online Account for Individuals
The two systems intersect at exactly one point: the authorization workflow. You submit through the Tax Pro Account, the client approves through their individual Online Account, and after that each side uses its own portal.
The February 2026 Business CAF Expansion
In February 2026, the IRS extended Tax Pro Account capabilities to firms operating under a business CAF number, a step aimed at accounting firms and tax preparation companies where multiple professionals work under a shared business identity.10Internal 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 those authorizations on behalf of the firm. The IRS described the release as a foundation for later expansions and has not announced a timeline for submitting new authorizations for corporate or partnership clients through the portal.10Internal Revenue Service. IRS Announces Next Expansion of Tax Pro Account to Support Tax Professional Businesses
Security and Practice Hygiene
Because the account provides direct access to sensitive taxpayer data, misuse carries real consequences. 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 result in disciplinary action under Circular 230 as disreputable conduct.
Firms are expected to maintain internal controls and data security safeguards over employees who touch taxpayer records, and a responsible practitioner inside the firm can face discipline for failing to put reasonable compliance procedures in place. On the practical side, review your active authorizations in the Tax Pro Account on a routine schedule, withdraw from any you no longer need, and keep the CAF limited to relationships you’re actually managing. Old authorizations sitting on your CAF create risk without any benefit.