General e-services questions 1. How long can I remain logged in? Can I remain logged in all day? A - If there is no activity on a page for 15 minutes, you will be logged out. Save periodically throughout the process to ensure you stay connected. 2. When the principal, principal consent, or responsible official authorizes someone in their firm to access e-Services, does the designee receive their own log-in credentials? A - Yes. All designees must register for e-services. They can do this before or after being authorized. When they sign on to use the e-services products, using their login credentials, they will have links to the products authorized – (TDS). 3. If you apply to become an authorized e-file provider, how do you submit fingerprints? (updated September 26, 2022) A - Each principal/responsible official requiring fingerprints must be fingerprinted by the IRS authorized vendor within 30 days of the e-file application submission. Visit Become an authorized e-file provider to obtain additional information. 4. Do I have to set up the e-services mailbox or is that something that the IRS will do? A - The e-services mailbox is established during the registration process. The e-Services system automatically sets it up for you. 5. Do I have to e-file to get e-Services? A - Access to reporting agent e-Services is limited to e-filers only. Some e-services products are available to everyone: E-file application TIN matching if you are a payer Transcript Delivery System 6. Sometimes we receive different account information from different IRS offices. Will this still be the case when I request an account transcript? A - No. When requesting transcripts, you will receive what is recorded to the IRS Master file. Note: TDS transcripts do not provide pending transactions. 7. Using TDS, how far back can you get past year transcripts? A - An account transcript will be available for any “active” account. Active is defined as any account that has had any activity on it, including filing of the return, within the last 3 years, no matter what tax year it relates to. Return and Record of Account transcripts are available for the current and 3 prior tax years. 8. Will TDS transcripts include current year estimated tax payments? A - Yes, as payments are posted to accounts, you will be able to see them using TDS. 9. Will combined annual wage reporting (CAWR) information be available on TDS? A - There are no current plans; however, we are looking into enhancements to the e-Services suite, and may include CAWR information on TDS in the future. 10. Can you get estimated (ES) tax payment information for delinquent returns through TDS? A - Yes, TDS account transcript requests result in responses reflecting ES payments. Payments are posted to taxpayer’s accounts as they are received. 11. Will we be able to verify tax deposits for the coming tax season? A - Yes 12. I have a new client. Will I be able to verify deposits they made before they were a client? A - If a taxpayer has been making tax deposits (estimated tax payments) and the reporting agent qualifies for e-services and has obtained authorization using Form 8655, he/she can get the tax deposit information through the Transcript Delivery link in e-services via the TDS “account transcript” product. Note: You will only be able to obtain transcripts for tax periods for which you have a Form 8655 authorization on file. 13. What types of transcripts are available to me? A - As a reporting agent you will be able to view account transcripts for all accounts for which you have a valid authorization on file. For Form 1120, you will also be able to receive return transcripts and record of account transcripts. 14. What information is contained in an account transcript? A -Tax Account Transcripts reflect changes made to the original return such as amendments and adjustments. Account Transcripts provide the following information: Amount of estimated payments Penalty paid/assessed Interest paid/assessed Interest paid to the taxpayer by the Service Balance due with accruals Account transcripts do not contain line by line information from the original return. 15. What information is contained in a return transcript? How is this different from an account transcript? A - Tax return transcripts have most of the line items from the tax return and it does not reflect changes after the return is processed. A return transcript is only available for the current year and three prior years. Account transcripts do not contain information from the original return. 16. I was not able to obtain a return transcript for a 941 account. Why not? A -The IRS does not currently have return transcripts available for any form other than Form 1120. 17. Will I be able to submit transcript requests on multiple taxpayers in the same session? A - Yes. You can submit requests for multiple taxpayers in the same session. 18. Will I be able to type in a range of tax periods without having to add them separately? A - Yes. The system was designed to allow a date range when requesting transcripts. 19. How can I request multiple transcripts as part of a single request? A - Select your first transcript product then click the "Add" button. A table will appear, scroll to the top of the screen, and select the next product, then select the "Add" button. After all the desired transcripts are selected, click on the "Add" button. 20. What is the add button for on the request transcript page? A - You must click on the “Add” button after each transcript request. The “Add” button has two functions: It triggers the system to perform the RAF check for proper authority. It builds a table that will be sent to the IRS’ database to retrieve the information for the transcript. 21. I requested more than one transcript. How can I view all of the transcripts I requested? A - Once you click on “Get Product” and view the first transcript, you must click on the “Previous” button to view the rest of the transcripts. You will repeat these steps for multiple transcript requests. 22. I submitted my transcript request and selected online for the delivery method. How do I view my transcript? A - By clicking on the “Get Products” link, the transcript will be displayed on your screen. 23. Is there a limit to the number of transcript requests I can submit as part of a single request? A - An RA can request transcripts for up to 10 different taxpayers in a single submission but we recommend that the total number of all transcripts requested not exceed 50 to avoid a system timeout. 24. I requested my transcript through secure email. How do I access my transcript? A - You will click on the “Mailbox” link in the blue toolbar. This toolbar displays on all e-services screens, so you can access it from anywhere in e-services.
