Upload IRS documents for faster refunds

The IRS recently announced that you now have the option to send the requested information online through IRS.gov. This new secure step will enable you or your tax professional to upload documents electronically rather than sending them in the mail. The new option could reduce time and effort in resolving tax issues.

In the current stage of the ongoing effort, nine notices will be available for this feature. The new uploading technology could help more than 500,000 taxpayers who receive these IRS notices each year.

"This capability is another step forward by the IRS to help taxpayers and improve service," said IRS Acting Commissioner Doug O'Donnell. "This provides immediate benefits to taxpayers, who have nearly instant confirmation that documents were received by the IRS. In turn, this will dramatically speed up the resolution of issues by removing a time-consuming step in the process. This means people can have their issues resolved much faster, including getting refunds to affected taxpayers faster. We will continue to look at improvements like this as we work to transform the IRS following passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last year."

The IRS sends these notices to people claiming various tax benefits, including the Child Tax Credit for families with dependents, the Earned Income Tax Credit for low- and moderate-income workers,  The Premium Tax Credit for people who receive health insurance from the Health Insurance Marketplace and members of the military claiming combat zone benefits.

The notices will instruct you to send your documents with the Documentation Upload Tool within 30 days of the date of your notice. The notice includes the link and a unique access code.

You can open the link in any browser and input your unique code. You must enter your first and last name, Social Security number, Individual Taxpayer Identification, or Employee Identification number. You can then securely upload photos, scans, or digital copies of your documents (maximum of 15MB per file, up to 40 files). You will receive a confirmation that the IRS received your documents, and the IRS employee assigned to the case can manage the transmitted documents.

The IRS has plans to expand the capability to dozens of other notices in the coming months and years. In addition, the IRS will accept digital correspondence on various other interactions. During live interactions such as phone calls, IRS employees can grant upload access by providing the link and unique access code.

You can respond to notices securely to IRS online, regardless of whether you have an IRS Online Account.

David Zubler is a tax accountant and Enrolled Agent in East Tennessee, providing tax strategies and representing clients before the IRS and has over 25 years of tax experience. He is the author of six tax books and has shared tax advice on national TV. He is the founder and president of Your Tax Care. The company provides business and tax education, including David’s one-minute tax tip radio recordings at YourTaxCare.com. David can be reached at (865) 363-3019 or contacted by email at david@yourtaxcare.com.