http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=29719
Tax Return Copy Rate to Increase
Washington, D.C. (Oct. 31, 2008)
By WebCPA staff
The Internal Revenue Service plans to increase the fee for obtaining an exact copy of a previously filed and processed tax return with all the attachments.
Beginning Nov. 1, the fee will increase to $57 from $39 to reflect better the cost of processing the request. Taxpayers or their designated representatives must still complete and mail the Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return to complete the request. Copies are generally available for returns filed in the current and past six years.
However, the IRS noted that it would still provide a tax return transcript for many returns free of charge. A transcript provides most of the information contained in a tax return and usually includes the information that mortgage companies and other lending institutions require for loan and employment verification purposes.
Taxpayers can obtain transcripts by completing and mailing a Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, by calling the IRS at (800) 829-1040, visiting a local Taxpayer Assistance Center or going through a tax professional if that person or company prepared their prior-year return. Transcripts represent more than 93 percent of all requests for tax account information, the IRS noted.
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With a signed Power of Attorney, Form 2848, most tax preparers can obtain a transcript of a taxpayer instantly.
