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Fill out IRS Form 8821 online

Let a person or a firm see a client's tax information at the IRS. Answer plain questions. Get the official Form 8821, filled in.

Form 8821, January 2021 revision. Source: IRS.

Free, no sign-up, and nothing leaves your browser unless you sign in and keep a profile.

Before you start
What you get
The official IRS Form 8821, filled in as a PDF.
What you do next
Print it and sign it by hand. 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. A designee can see tax information but cannot speak for the taxpayer.
More to know
  • The IRS returns a form that is not signed and dated. Do not sign a form that is blank or not complete.
  • 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/Form8821 for a newer one.
People and companies on this device

Pick a profile to fill in the form for you. Or fill the form once and save nothing.

Manage clients

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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: Designees

    Name one or two designees. For more, check the box below and attach a list.

    Designee 1

    Use the identical full name on every submission. A designee can be a person, a firm or an organization.

    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 designees for the same matter. The designee does not get forms or publications with them.

    Designee 1: new since the IRS gave the CAF number

    Without this box, the designee gets the information directly from the IRS e-Services Transcript Delivery System.

    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.

    What you want the IRS to give, such as a balance due. Leave it empty to write Not applicable: the designee may see all the information in columns (a), (b) and (c).

    Line 4: Specific use not recorded on the CAF

    Examples: information for a lender or a school, a background check, Forms SS-4, W-2, W-4, W-7, 1099 and 8802. If you check it, skip line 5, and mail or fax the form to the IRS office that handles the matter.

    Line 5: Earlier authorizations

    This form revokes all earlier authorizations on file. To keep one, check this box and attach a copy of it.

    Line 6: 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.

    11 answers left

    How to fill out Form 8821

    1. Enter the taxpayer: the name, the address and the tax number.
    2. Enter the designee. Save the designee once. The tool fills it in for each client.
    3. Choose the tax information: the type, the form, the years and the specific matter.
    4. Say if the form is for a specific use that the IRS does not record, and if you keep earlier authorizations.
    5. Check each line. Press the preview button, then sign and date the form.
    6. Send the form to the IRS.

    Questions

    What is Form 8821?

    Form 8821 lets a person, a firm or an organization see and receive a taxpayer's confidential tax information. It is for the type of tax, the forms and the years that you list.

    What is the difference between Form 8821 and Form 2848?

    A designee on Form 8821 can only inspect and receive tax information. A representative on Form 2848 can also act for the taxpayer before the IRS and sign agreements.

    Where do I send Form 8821?

    You can submit it online at IRS.gov/Submit8821. 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.

    How long is Form 8821 good for?

    The IRS must get a form for a purpose other than a tax matter within 120 days after the taxpayer signs it. An example is income verification for a lender. The 120 days do not apply to help with a tax matter.

    How many designees can I name?

    Two. For more, check the box on line 2 and attach a list. The IRS sends copies of notices to at most two designees for the same matter.

    Can a designee get my refund?

    No. A designee can never endorse or negotiate a refund check or receive a refund by direct deposit.

    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.