Your IRS Online Account: A Year-Round Tool Worth Using

If your experience with the IRS has mostly meant sitting on hold or waiting weeks for a letter to arrive in the mail, there is good news. The IRS has invested significantly in its digital tools in recent years, and one of the most useful ones available to individual taxpayers is the IRS Individual Online Account.

We often encourage clients to set this up because it puts a surprising amount of information right at your fingertips — year-round, not just during tax season. Here is a closer look at what it can do and why it is worth your time.

What You Can Do Through the IRS Online Account

Once you create an account at IRS.gov and verify your identity, the portal becomes a centralized hub for your federal tax information. Below are the key features and why each one matters.

View Your Tax Records

The portal lets you pull up details from previously filed returns, including your adjusted gross income (AGI), and download transcripts and wage and income records going back multiple years. This is particularly helpful when you are preparing a new return, responding to an IRS inquiry, or verifying income for a lender or financial application. Instead of calling us — or the IRS — to track down a prior-year figure, you can often find it yourself in minutes.

Check Your Balance and Payment History

If you owe the IRS, the account shows exactly how much, broken down by tax year, along with a full history of past payments. Because the balance updates daily, you will always have an accurate payoff figure if you are planning to resolve a balance in full. This kind of visibility takes a lot of the guesswork out of staying current with the IRS.

Make or Schedule Payments

The portal allows you to submit payments directly from a bank account — either immediately or scheduled up to 365 days in advance. You can also modify or cancel a scheduled payment before it processes. For clients who make quarterly estimated tax payments, this scheduling capability can simplify that process considerably.

Monitor the Status of Your Refund or Amended Return

Beyond the standard “Where’s My Refund?” tool, the online account provides updates on both original and amended returns. If you are waiting on a refund or have recently filed a Form 1040-X, this is a more direct way to track where things stand.

Access IRS Notices Digitally

The IRS now delivers many official notices electronically through the portal — currently more than 200 different notice types. Having these in one place makes it much easier to stay organized and respond promptly if action is required. If you receive a notice you are unsure about, the best next step is always to contact us before responding to the IRS directly.

Request an Identity Protection PIN

The account also allows you to obtain an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) — a six-digit code that prevents someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number. With tax-related identity theft still a real concern, this is a straightforward step that adds a meaningful layer of protection. We generally recommend that clients take advantage of this feature.

How to Get Started

To protect your sensitive tax information, the IRS requires identity verification through ID.me, its third-party credential service. The process involves submitting a government-issued photo ID and confirming your identity through facial recognition or a video call. It takes a few extra minutes, but it ensures that only you can access your account — which is exactly what you want when it comes to your tax records.

A Tool Worth Using Year-Round

The IRS Online Account is most valuable when you treat it as an ongoing resource rather than something you check once a year at filing time. Confirming that a payment posted, retrieving a transcript for a mortgage application, or catching an unexpected notice early — these are the kinds of situations where quick access to your tax information pays off.

That said, having access to your IRS account does not mean you need to navigate tax issues on your own. If you see something in your account that raises questions — an unexpected balance, an unfamiliar notice, or a discrepancy in your records — reach out to us. We are here to help you make sense of what you are looking at and determine the right next step.