IRS Announces End to Faxing and Third-Party Mailings of Tax Transcripts

Author
Federal Student Aid
Subject
IRS Announces End to Faxing and Third-Party Mailings of Tax Transcripts

In October 2018, we issued an Electronic Announcement (EA) to inform the community of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) changes to tax transcripts and anticipated changes to tax transcript faxing and third-party services. On June 4, 2019, the IRS announced it would no longer fax tax transcripts to either the tax filer or a third-party, and Forms 4506, 4506-T and 4506T-EZ will no longer have the option to submit tax information to a third-party.

Changes to Faxing Services

Effective June 28, 2019, the IRS will no longer fax tax transcripts to tax filers or third-parties. As alternatives tax filers may still request a copy of their tax transcript by:

  • Using IRS.gov or the IRS2Go app to access Get Transcript by Mail; transcript will be delivered within 10 days to the tax filer's address of record, or
  • Submitting Form 4506-T or 4506T-EZ to have a transcript mailed to the tax filer at the tax filer's address of record with the IRS.
  • Using IRS.gov or the IRS2Go app to access Get Transcript Online; after verifying their identities, tax filers may immediately download or print their transcript, or
  • Calling 800-908-9946 for an automated Get Transcript by Mail feature.

Changes to Third-Party Mailings

Effective July 1, 2019, the IRS will no longer mail tax transcripts to third-parties as requested on Form 4506, Form 4506-T and Form 4506T-EZ. These forms will be amended to remove the third-party mailing option. However, tax filers may continue to use these forms to obtain a copy of their tax return or obtain a copy of their tax transcripts.

Third-parties, including institutions who use these forms for income verification, have other alternatives to access these transcripts as a third-party. The IRS offers an Income Verification Express Service (IVES) which has several hundred participants, who, with proper authorization, order transcripts directly from the IRS. Institutions can either contract with existing IVES participants or become IVES participants themselves by registering for e-Services on IRS.gov.

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is not affected by these changes and will continue to be accessible to eligible FAFSA applicants.