This morning I received an email noting that the IRS has released an online directory of tax professionals. The system lists EAs, CPAs, attorneys, and participants in the IRS’s Annual Filing Season Program.
The first time I tried to use it I saw this:
To be fair, the second time I searched the system was up and I found myself. The system sorts alphabetically (by default), though you can select one credential, or look for a specific last name.
There are errors, though; my business partner is listed based on my address (the main office) rather than his address (which is only 2000 miles away).
The good about this system is that a taxpayer can verify that someone has a credential. (That’s about all it’s good for to me.) Was this worth the effort, employee hours, and money that the IRS spent on it? Well, I’d much rather the IRS have spent the money on more employees for the Practitioner Priority Service so I’m not on hold for (on average) two hours. Or bring back the ability for tax professionals to enter POAs through e-services; that would be a great use of money that would save the IRS money (as there would be fewer phone calls to e-services).
Tags: PreparerRegistration