Levy Lauter LLP

IRS Third Party Authorizations – Did You Know?

All U.S. taxpayers have the right to designate a third party to work with the IRS on their behalf. In order to exercise this right, taxpayers must formally grant permission to the third party to represent them. This authorization may take several different forms:

Oral Disclosure: This level of permission simply authorizes the IRS to share the taxpayer's tax information with another person present on a phone call or in a meeting.

Third-party Designee: On their tax returns, taxpayers may designate a third party to discuss the return with the IRS. This authorization is limited to that specific return and year.

Tax Information Authorization: Taxpayers may appoint a third party to receive and review their confidential tax information for a specific type of tax for a designated time period.

Power Of Attorney: This designation authorizes a person or firm to represent the taxpayer in federal tax matters. The person or firm must be certified to practice before the IRS.

Oral disclosure and third-party designee permissions expire automatically. Taxpayers have the right to revoke tax information or power of attorney authorizations at any time, either by notifying the IRS of the revocation, or simply by appointing a new representative.

Credits and Deductions Changes This Filing Season – Did You Know?

As the April 15th filing deadline approaches, the IRS recently reminded taxpayers of several key tax law changes that took effect in 2023. Taxpayers should review these changes to avoid making errors on their returns.

Standard deduction amounts increased significantly from 2022 to 2023, up to $13,850 for single and married filing separately status, $20,800 for heads of household, and $27,700 for joint filers and qualifying surviving spouses. The maximum Additional Child Tax Credit, which is the refundable part of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), also increased to $1,600 for 2023.

Congress is considering legislation that would retroactively enhance the CTC itself. However, there is no need to wait for the result of those discussions to file your return. If a law change entitles you to a larger 2023 CTC than you have claimed, the IRS will automatically adjust your return, and send you a refund for the added credit amount.

A tax professional can help you determine how the 2023 credit and deduction rules affect your taxes, and file your return electronically to get your refund as rapidly as possible.