Identity theft protection

The Internal Revenue Service’s efforts last year to safeguard against identity theft by asking employers to file W-2 forms earlier and holding tax refunds longer if taxpayers claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit did not always work, according to a new report.

The Internal Revenue Service is getting ready to open the tax filing season on Monday, Jan. 29, as it gears up to handle the new tax law.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to ask tax professionals additional questions before providing them with assistance as part of its efforts to improve security.

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t doing enough to ensure that Electronic Filing Identification Numbers are assigned to qualified applicants or deactivated when needed, according to a new report.

Outgoing Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen foresees problems with tax reform if major provisions apply to the current tax year and predicted the agency would need more funding from Congress to implement the legislation if it passes.

The Internal Revenue Service said Monday that it was able to transition most of its e-Services user applications to a new platform over the weekend, although it reiterated its warning Friday of delays in moving to new authentication technology.

The Internal Revenue Service has not been able to upgrade its online e-Services applications to a more secure authentication method, the IRS admitted Friday.

The Internal Revenue Service, working in partnership with state tax authorities and the tax preparation industry as part of their Security Summit initiative, reported significant progress Tuesday in the battle against tax-related identity theft, with new steps planned for next tax season.

The Internal Revenue Service has suspended its $7.25 million contract with Equifax after the company admitted to finding a malware link on its website on the heels of a data breach that exposed the personal information of approximately 146 million people in the U.S.

Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee said they were “taken aback” to find out the Internal Revenue Service has recently signed a $7.25 million contract with Equifax for verifying taxpayer identities after the company admitted to a massive data breach exposing the personal information of approximately half of all Americans.