IRS implements new fingerprinting process for e-file

The Internal Revenue Service is planning to mandate a new electronic fingerprinting process for e-file applications for tax practitioners starting Sept. 25.

In an email Wednesday to tax professionals, the IRS said individuals would be required to use an IRS-authorized vendor for fingerprinting. Each new principal and responsible official listed on a new e-file application or added to an existing application needing fingerprints will need to schedule an appointment with the IRS authorized vendor. 

The cutoff date to mail paper fingerprint cards (Form FD-258) to the IRS is Aug. 15, 2022. The fingerprints cards also need to be postmarked by August by that same date, and the application has to be submitted prior to mailing the fingerprint cards. 

The IRS won’t process fingerprint cards postmarked after Aug. 15, 2022, the agency warned. In addition, customers needing fingerprints will need to wait until Sept. 25 to schedule an electronic fingerprinting appointment. On Sept. 25, 2022, they can schedule an appointment by accessing the scheduling link located on the e-file application summary page. 

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg

Instructions for scheduling an appointment will be provided upon submitting an e-file application and on IRS.gov. The IRS plans to provide additional information about the new fingerprinting process on Sept. 25. The Become an Authorized e-file Provider page on IRS.gov will offer the most up-to-date information.

The IRS has struggled to control identity theft and data breaches within its user self-service tools like Get Transcript, and tax professionals have increasingly found themselves targeted by cybercriminals with phishing schemes in an effort to get access to sensitive client information. The fingerprinting process is one way the IRS has tried to improve its authentication procedures, while hoping to avoid the kinds of controversies over biometric identification methods that erupted earlier this year after it began rolling out selfie technology for accessing online taxpayer accounts. The IRS also plans to migrate its set of online services for tax professionals to the third-party provider ID.me this summer despite objections being raised in Congress to the authentication company (see story).