Tax pros and taxpayers can now digitally upload responses to nine IRS CP notices; more to come

Over the last three years, most taxpayers and tax pros alike have experienced long delays in corresponding with the IRS and responding by snail mail to notices taxpayers receive from the IRS.  

To ease the communication burden and speed response times, the agency has begun including online correspondence as an option on nine of the CP series notices, using the so-called IRS Document Upload Tool.

The agency estimates that the ability to respond to notices online could assist more than 500,000 taxpayers each year.

IRS Document Upload Tool

The IRS Document Upload Tool enables digital correspondence by providing a URL and a time-limited unique access code to a specific taxpayer on the notice so they can upload their documents to the IRS. Access originates with the agency, and it isn't available for certain documents, such as those requiring physical signatures. 

Those receiving the following notices with the link and access code can choose to upload their documents:

• CP04, relating to combat zone status. 
• CP05A, information request related to a refund. 
• CP06 and CP06A, relating to the Premium Tax Credit. 
• CP08, relating to the Child Tax Credit. 
• CP09, relating to claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit. 
• CP75, relating to the EITC. 
• CP75A, relating to the EITC. 
• CP75D, relating to the EITC and other credits. 

In addition, the IRS indicates it has identified 53 other notices that could be appropriate for this type of secure digital communications in the near future. 

How the process works 

When a taxpayer receives a notice, the notice will inform the taxpayer to “send us your documents using the Document Upload Tool within 30 days from the date of this notice.” The notice will also include the link and a unique access code.  

The taxpayer can open the link in any browser and, with their unique code and some other information, securely upload scans, photos, or digital copies of documents. There is a maximum of 15MB per file, and a restriction of 40 files at a time. 

To use the Document Upload Tool the taxpayer will need their unique access code, first and last name, and one of the following:

• Social Security number 
• Individual Taxpayer Identification
• Employee Identification number 

Once the documents are uploaded, the taxpayer will receive a confirmation that the IRS received their documents, and the IRS employee assigned the case can manage the transmitted documents. 

The taxpayer's documents are available to the IRS employee assigned to the case and remain available indefinitely until the employee retrieves them, at which time they're archived for 180 days and then deleted from the system. 

For the future… 

The IRS states it plans to expand this capability to additional notices and to live interactions with taxpayers, including those over the phone and in person.  

The goal is for IRS employees who have direct contact with tax pros and taxpayers to be able to offer secure digital communications as an option wherever possible.