Because the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t automatically send out periodic account statements, it’s easy to wonder about the status of your account. True, you’ll get letters from the IRS if you have overdue amounts from a past year, or if the IRS believes you have made a mistake on your return. But that doesn’t tell you how much you still owe for other years or about any other tax payments you made recently.
If you don’t hear from the IRS about a given year, you probably assume that means all is well. But is it really? Can you find out? Here’s how to access your account status with the IRS.
At a glance:
- The IRS doesn’t send periodic account statements, making it hard to know your account status.
- You can access your IRS account online via the IRS online account tool by creating an ID.me account and verifying your identity.
- You can request tax account transcripts and other types of transcripts for more information about your account, all available at no charge from the IRS.
How to see your IRS account online
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to get answers about your account. The IRS allows you to see the following information online via the IRS online account tool:
- Your total payoff amount as of today
- Tax balance for each year on which you owe a balance
- Payment plan options and details
- Important information from your most recently filed return (including AGI, transcripts, Child Tax Credit payments, and more).
- Five years of payment history, including any estimated tax payments made
To see the above information online, you must create an ID.me account with the IRS (if you don’t have one already), and log in to your account. The IRS allows you to verify your identity in multiple ways:
- Self-service process that requires a photo of your government ID and a selfie
- Live call with an ID.me video agent
If you need assistance you can visit the ID.me IRS Help Site.
Once you’re signed in, you can make an electronic payment to your account. If you use a credit card to make a payment, you will be charged a fee.
What if I need more information about my account?
If you need more information, you can request a tax account transcript for the current tax year and past tax returns at the IRS Get Transcript site. You can ask for an online transcript or have one sent to you by mail. A tax account transcript shows basic tax return data, including:
- Return type (usually individual income tax return)
- Marital status
- Adjusted gross income
- Taxable income
- All payment types
- Changes made after you filed your original return (by you or by the IRS)
To see your transcript online, you need to register and provide the same information as you would to see your tax account online.
You can also get a transcript by mail in 5-10 calendar days by providing the mailing address from your latest tax return.
What other types of transcripts are available?
The IRS offers these additional transcripts at no charge:
- Tax Return Transcript: This transcript shows most line items on your tax return and generally meets the needs of lending institutions that request your tax information.
- Tax Account Transcript: This shows basic tax data such as your filing status and taxable income. It’s available for the current year and nine prior tax years.
- Record of Account Transcript: This is a combination of the Tax Account Transcript and the Tax Return Transcript. It is available for the current year and tax returns processed during the prior three years.
- Wage and Income Transcript: This transcript shows data from information returns, such as Forms W-2, 1099, 1098, and 5498. It is available for up to ten prior years.
- Verification of Non-filing Letter: If you need proof that the IRS has no record of you filing for a given year (whether or not you were required to file), you can get this transcript.