How Form 2848 Can Prevent Potential Fraud

By The IRS Liaison Office

Question: How can practitioners receive an entire listing of all Forms 2848 to remove former clients, in an effort to prevent potential fraud?

As the Form 2848 instructions now explain, practitioners can request a list of active authorizations. They can submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the IRS Centralized Authorization File unit, which keeps track of practitioners’ filed tax authorizations. This FOIA request is called a CAF77 request. The IRS also requires proof of identity with the letter; attach a copy of your driver’s license or a notarized statement swearing to your identity. Fax or mail the request to the FOIA office in your respective areas. Access the following link for more details: https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/freedom-of-information-act-foia-guidelines. The IRS requires a specific format and provides a sample CAF77 request letter as a template. Select Sample CAF Client Listing request and adjust it accordingly.