Posted on January 30 2017
2016 Tax Return Filing Changes
ADVISORY LETTER —
To our Clients:
As part of a national effort by states to combat identity theft, tax return preparers are now required to ask you to provide your driver’s license number with the filing of your state tax return. Providing this information gives the applicable Department of Revenue an extra security measure to help prevent refund fraud related to identity theft. This request is voluntary on your part; your refund will not be rejected if you decide not to provide this information. However, providing your driver’s license number could have the benefit of speeding up the processing of your return.
If you would like to provide this information to be used with the filing your 2016 state income tax return, please respond to this email with your license number, or provide it when you forward your tax return documents.
License Number:
- Issue Date (mm/dd/yyy):
- Expiration Date (mm/dd/yyy):
- Location of issuance (state):
- Document Number (NYS only):
It is our recommendation that you provide us with this information to help prevent potential fraudulent returns filed on your behalf.
Additionally, if you are to receive a refund this year and you would like it to be directly deposited into your bank account, you will need to sign a newly-issued IRS form or your organizer (if applicable).
While these matters require providing additional information to us, the goals are clear – identity theft continues to be an ever-expanding concern – and additional steps taken such as these to protect taxpayer privacy can help to counteract potential illicit activities.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
