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Fill out IRS Form 2848 online

Name a tax professional to act for a client before the IRS. Answer plain questions. Get the official Form 2848, filled in.

Form 2848, January 2021 revision. Source: IRS.

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Before you start
What you get
The official IRS Form 2848, filled in as a PDF.
What you do next
Print it and sign it by hand: the taxpayer first, then each representative. Send it to the IRS online, by fax or by mail.
What this tool does not do
It never sends the form to the IRS. It does not give tax advice.
More to know
  • Make a separate Form 2848 for each taxpayer. Spouses who filed a joint return each need their own form.
  • The IRS returns a form that is not signed and dated. The taxpayer signs first. Then each representative signs.
  • List each year or period. The IRS returns a form that says "All years", "All periods" or "All taxes".
  • This tool fills the January 2021 form. Check IRS.gov/Form2848 for a newer one.
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    Forms made on this device

    Nothing yet. The list keeps the date, the name and the requester. It does not keep the PDF or the tax numbers.

    Import saved data

    Your answers

    Line 1: Taxpayer
    Who is the taxpayer?

    Use the exact name. Do not give the name of your spouse.

    Use the EIN for a business, an exempt organization, a trust, or the plan sponsor. Use the SSN or ITIN for a person or an estate that has no EIN.

    Why we ask

    The IRS needs the tax number to find the taxpayer's account. It stays in your browser unless you keep a profile.

    A sole proprietor who gives a business to the IRS enters both the SSN (or ITIN) and the EIN.

    Only for an employee plan. Enter the plan sponsor as the taxpayer.

    Line 2: Representatives

    Name one to four representatives. Each one signs Part II, in this order.

    Representative 1

    Use the identical full name on every submission. Only a person who may practice before the IRS can be a representative.

    A CAF number is a nine-digit number that the IRS gives to a representative or designee. Write None if you have none: the IRS then gives you one. It is not your SSN, EIN or PTIN.

    Why we ask

    The IRS keeps each authorization in its Centralized Authorization File (CAF). The number links you to it.

    Write "applied for" if you applied and have no PTIN yet.

    The IRS sends copies to at most two representatives for the same matter. The representative does not get forms or publications with them.

    Representative 1: new since the IRS gave the CAF number
    Part II: declaration of representative 1

    Leave it empty to add the date in the editor. The representative signs after the taxpayer, in the order of line 2.

    Line 3: Tax matters

    List each matter, its form and its years. Write each year. Do not write all years. The IRS records a period only if it ends by 2029.

    Row 1

    Such as 1040 or 941. Write Not Applicable if the form does not apply.

    Such as 2024, 2022 thru 2024, 2nd 2023-3rd 2024, 202406 (a fiscal year), or 01/01/2024-02/05/2024.

    Line 4: Specific use not recorded on the CAF

    Examples: a private letter ruling, an EIN application, a Form 843 claim, a corporate dissolution, an exemption application, an ITIN application, a FOIA request. If you check it, mail or fax the form to the IRS office that handles the matter.

    Line 5a: Additional acts authorized

    Without a box, the representative cannot do these acts.

    Another person may sign an income tax return only for disease or injury, for an absence from the United States of at least 60 days, or with the permission of the IRS for other good cause.

    Line 5b: Specific acts not authorized

    The representative can never endorse or cash a refund check. The form says so already. List any other act that the representative may not do.

    Line 6: Earlier powers of attorney

    This form revokes the earlier powers of attorney for the same matters and years. To keep one, check this box and attach a copy of it.

    Line 7: Who signs for the taxpayer

    Sign and date the form. Sign it here with Preview and sign only if you submit it online. To fax or mail it, print it and sign by hand (IRS instructions, Electronic Signatures). The IRS returns a form that is not signed and dated. Each representative also signs Part II.

    12 answers left

    How to fill out Form 2848

    1. Enter the taxpayer: the name, the address and the tax number.
    2. Enter your own details as the representative. Save them once. The tool fills them in for each client.
    3. Choose what the representative may do: the matters, the forms and the years.
    4. Check the extra acts and the acts that are not allowed. Say if the form is for a specific use.
    5. Check each line. Press the preview button, then sign and date the form.
    6. Each representative signs Part II. Then send the form to the IRS.

    Questions

    What is Form 2848?

    Form 2848 is a power of attorney. It lets a person who may practice before the IRS act for a taxpayer. The person can receive tax information and sign agreements for the matters on the form.

    Who can be a representative?

    Only a person who may practice before the IRS. Part II lists who. It lists attorneys, CPAs, enrolled agents, officers, full-time employees, family members, enrolled actuaries, unenrolled return preparers, students in a clinic, and enrolled retirement plan agents.

    Where do I send Form 2848?

    You can submit it online at IRS.gov/Submit2848. You need a Secure Access account. You can also fax or mail it to the IRS office for the state where the taxpayer lives. This tool shows the addresses and fax numbers from the instructions. If the form is for a specific use, send it to the office that handles the matter.

    Can the taxpayer sign it on screen?

    Yes, but only if you submit the form online. A form that you fax or mail needs a handwritten signature. A typed or digital signature is not valid for fax or mail.

    How many years can I list?

    List the years that matter, such as 2022 thru 2024. You can list future years. The IRS records only periods that end within 3 years after December 31 of the year it gets the form. Do not write all years.

    Does a new Form 2848 cancel the old one?

    Yes, for the same matters and years. The IRS revokes earlier powers of attorney for the same matters. To keep one, check the box on line 6 and attach a copy of it.

    Is my information uploaded?

    No. The form is filled on your device. Nothing you type goes to a server. If you sign in and keep a profile, the profile syncs with your account. The tool encrypts the tax number, the CAF number and the PTIN before it stores them. Read the privacy page.

    Is this the official form?

    Yes. The tool fills the PDF that the IRS publishes. The page shows which revision it uses and when we last checked it.

    This tool does not give legal or tax advice. Ask a tax professional if you are not sure.