Power of attorney and e-services

[jklcpa]

If I fax in a POA, how long does it take before I can request data through e-services?

Husband & Wife splitting. H filed t/rs without payts, possibly didn't report all income. H was diverting mail, funds, not paying bills before he took off. He may have cleaned out a pension & not reported it on the return to further hide that from her.

Wife received one combination notice for multiple years (back to '03) with balances due but thinks it includes pen/int. Husband has some of the notices and is very disorganized. Hopefully he will sign the POA.

I've never used e-services although I am eligible to do so. What should I ask for? Can I get copies of the original notices?

[carolynm]

You can submit the POA online and then retrieve the documents instantly.

You will then have access to accounts, transcripts etc.

Carolyn

If I fax in a POA, how long does it take before I can request data through e-services?

Husband & Wife splitting. H filed t/rs without payts, possibly didn't report all income. H was diverting mail, funds, not paying bills before he took off. He may have cleaned out a pension & not reported it on the return to further hide that from her.

Wife received one combination notice for multiple years (back to '03) with balances due but thinks it includes pen/int. Husband has some of the notices and is very disorganized. Hopefully he will sign the POA.

I've never used e-services although I am eligible to do so. What should I ask for? Can I get copies of the original notices?

[Julie]

If you fax it in, you have to wait about three days.

No, you can't get copies of the original notices, but you can get an account transcript, which is a chronological list of assessments and payments, return transcripts, and wage and income statements (w2-1099).

I gather you're working for the wife....you can get most of the joint info with a POA just for her. I have a case of a divorced couple where my POA is only for the husband, but I have generally been able to get what I need. But I don't need her W2s, and if you need his, you'll need him to sign it.

I haven't yet figured out how to submit a POA online. Do you have to get the client to fill in a PIN?

[jklcpa]

H is cooperating. They are still married. I sent a standard 2848, the signature area has a box for the pin. With IRS E-services, the 2848 info & pin can be entered. This is all new to me.

The returns are all so straightforward, the only thing I can imagine is that IRS document matching picked up some sort of unreported income, such as a pension withdraw. We shall soon see what this is all about.

[Lion EA]

You can fill out a POA online, but make sure you have client sign it for your records.