New IRS e-Services authentication process requires re-registration

[Elrod]

(Journal Of Accountancy) - The IRS notified tax practitioners and taxpayers who use many IRS e-services that it is strengthening the authentication process for identifying users and that the new, more stringent procedures will require existing users to re-register.

http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2016/sep/irs-services-authentication-procedures-201615248.html

[RitaB]

Thanks, Elrod.  Also, and sorta related, if you become an EA (and maybe if you renew, I don't know) you need to login to your PTIN account and update your credentials.

[Lee B]

The IRS has announced that this changeover has been delayed due to unspecified problems for an unknown period of time.

After all how can you know the unknowable ?

 

[Roberts]

My e-services log in no longer works. When I ask for a new password, it requires I provide it with my old password because obviously that's normal.

 

edit: trying a few minutes later again to log in and it says an error occurred and I should try again later. Great. e-services has ALWAYS been a problem for me. They voided me out several times for no apparent reason and then all of a sudden I was fully back in the system. Can't figure them out at all.

[Lion EA]

E-Services is putting in a new, more secure service that was targeted for 24 October but has been postponed.  We will have to re-authenticate ourselves again with stricter info.

[FDNY]

Keeping everything secure is going to be a never ending battle.  I miss the 20th century.  Things were either so simple or we were very innocent and naïve back then.  Seems like yesterday.

[Lion EA]

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/important-update-about-your-eservices-account

[mcb39]

I, also, always had difficulties with logging into E-Services.

[TAXMAN]

Does this affect renewal of PTIN #'s?

[Roberts]

7 hours ago, TAXMAN said:

Does this affect renewal of PTIN #'s?

No - that's a different system and I've already done that.

Still can't log into e-services!

Submitted my EA renewal today also.

[SaraEA]

e-services passwords expire every six months.  Did you remember to change it?  You can't use any password remotely close to any you've used in the past four years either.  And they wonder why folks do the forbidden and write their passwords down (hopefully not on a sticky note on the front of the computer screen).

Logging into e-services is always an experience.  I am registered for three users (one for where I work and TWO for me?)  If I can't get in under one I just try another.  Sometimes nothing happens, or it brings me to the welcome screen for e-services (no access to transcripts).  So I just try again, same user or different, and eventually it goes through.  I believe that sometimes the system just isn't working at that moment.  Often I just exit and start all over again and get in.

Try giving e-services a call.  I found them to be helpful when I registered but still couldn't access transcripts.  They said I had to efile X number of returns before I could get in.  (There's a rule about that--is that your problem maybe?)  When I told them I was an EA exempt from that rule, they acted surprised and said no one had checked that box on their end.  I gained instant access.  Even so, getting in is frustrating but I persevere and usually succeed eventually. 

[Roberts]

I efile about 70 returns a year under my ptin - don't know if that's the issue.

I've been in there the previous 6 months because I remember changing my password. I'm sure that was an issue previously though. I don't really use e-services much but sometimes you need it in a hurry.

[mcb39]

On 10/26/2016 at 8:57 AM, TAXMAN said:

Does this affect renewal of PTIN #'s?

Not at all.  You renew your PTIN at irs.gov.  Pretty painless except for the $50 fee.