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I've waived fees several time over the years when I decided it was called for, based on what I was told, what I knew, and also on my intuition. Widows, church members who fell on hard times, etc. I just always suggest that if they ever get back on their feet to make a contribution to a mission project (but not in my name, BTW). Probably have even done it a few times when I shouldn't, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. You've described a situation I'd be very likely to waive the fee. I respect your decision and I respect you for making it. Now if you can just get them to listen to your advice and file. After the assessment, they might be able to submit a penalty waiver request if they have a good filing & compliance history, and an installment agreement might be manageable. And as has been mentioned, CNC might be an option. But they need to take action. One suggestion - print out a hard copy and send it to them ready to file. That set of documents might carry more weight with them than an e-filing form. Let them know they can send it in with a token payment or even no payment. After the assessment, they might be able to submit a penalty waiver request if they have a good filing & compliance history, and an installment agreement might be manageable. And as has been mentioned, CNC might be an option. But they need to take action.

Judy is going to delete this, but I can't help myself..... So you don't need anything to prove who you are to vote, but you need to authenticate with ID.me to pay your taxes? Doesn't requiring people to prove who they are before they exercise their right to pay taxes somehow make the taxpayers disenfranchised? How screwed up is this? Tom Longview, TX

I decided to compare the two, but as it turns out I already had a Login.gov account which I had forgotten about. (Probably used it a long time ago to correspond with the Veterans Administration) So I was not able to get the experience of setting up a Login.gov account to find out how it works compared to the ID.me process. But the experience is about the same with respect to signing in to EFTPS once one has either credential. One article I read stated that ID.me is a bit easier to set up, but it requires facial recognition, whereas Login.gov does not. However, the article went on to say this makes the Login.gov process a bit more tedious. Judy makes a very good case for adding this level of security - things which I had not really thought about. I'm coming around to the concept; just would have liked a little more lead time or provided some sort of phase-in.

I won't delete Tom's post, but for those of you mentioning security for paying taxes, this isn't that. This is to more secure our financial information that is stored there including banking information, SSNs, EINs, and payment history. Thieves could used all of that in a variety of ways.

I was on EFTPS last week and there was no notice whatsoever. What a pack of eejits, to implement this with no warning at all. Frankly, the whole ID dot me thing is, to my mind, less secure than the previous system. Yeah, they send you a code. So what? If bad guys have access to my computer, they probably have my phone, too. Plus, who on earth uses subterfuge to log in to PAY tax? We can comfort ourselves that if they had a brain, and a clue, they'd be far more dangerous than they already are.

7. News from the Justice Department’s Tax Division Lance K. Bradford, a CPA of Henderson, Nev., pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns for his role in a purported investment scheme to sell false tax deductions. In total, Bradford’s scheme caused a tax loss to the IRS of at least $8 million. Bradford is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. I really think he deserves a longer sentence than 3 years!

Tom, For what its worth, it is very honorable for you to be compassionate and concerned about a loyal long-time client. I think everyone of us has faced something like this in our line of work. I know I certainly have. While these folks may not have taken all of the available funds from their retirement accounts, they may need those funds to survive in the foreseeable future. Knowling what you know about these folks, I sure wouldn't want to be the one to take the last dollar and have that on my conscience that I may have caused them to fall further when I could have helped. I'm not saying this applies to every person who is down on their luck. Different circumstances require different actions. I agree to have them file the return and seek the CNC status. The bill will not go away but no collection activity will take place either. The ones I have no sympathy for are the ones that sit and complain about my fees and how hard it is to pay them and find them sitting at the Longhorn steak house for dinner right after they picked their return up from me. As you said, I think we can tell when the story we are given fails the smell test. You apparently know these folks very well so go with your heart on this one.

In recent years it's been sometime Thanksgiving week

id.me seems to be much more common and i read that login.gov is not as secure as id.me.

An email I received Monday 16 October: Dear Partners, Just in case you missed the notice on the EFTPS website when logging into EFTPS, as of October 19, 2023 multifactor authentication will be required to log into EFTPS. See the notice from the EFTPS homepage below. Notice to EFTPS Website users: What is happening? Fiscal Service is requiring Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for system access. The new authentication process supports Executive Order 14028, requiring all federal agency applications to implement MFA. This will provide an additional layer of security, protecting against unauthorized access threats. EFTPS is partnering with third-party credential service providers Login.gov and ID.me for MFA services. When is it happening? Secure sign-in via Login.gov or ID.me will be required on October 19, 2023. How do I register? Upon logging in to this site, you will be prompted to register and/or authenticate with either Login.gov or ID.me, prior to the normal process of inputting your EIN or SSN, PIN, and password. Where can I go for help? For assistance with Login.gov please call the Login.gov help desk at (844) 875-6446. For assistance with ID.me visit help.ID.me. Attached are instructions to the two ways taxpayers can validate their identities using ID.me. Please feel free to distribute this information to your membership. Sincerely, Joseph McCarthy CPA IRS Senior Stakeholder Liaison

As far as I can tell, this announcement first showed up on October 18th on the EFTPS Home Page. I subscribe to the IRS Payroll News and there has been no mention of this change. This is a perfect example of how not to implement a change!

Guess how many of your clients are going to be calling you next week (semi-weekly depositors) or the 14th of next month (monthly depositors), in a panic because they suddenly can't pay their Federal Tax Deposits.

Went to log in to e-services for something else, and saw "Renew Your PTIN" as a new option. I've already done mine. Fee is down to $19.75 for 2024.

Smooth as silk! One more hurdle over.

Catherine is right about the failure to file penalty. Once they miss the extension deadline, it goes all the way back to April, so your clients are already facing six month's worth. They must file ASAP and apply for CNC when they get the first notice. At some point likely all of us have waived our fee for a client in distress. Know your client, though. Some might be embarrassed by accepting "charity."

Too true. "They're all crooks except for my guy!" is the thought. Nope; my guy is a crook too. So is yours.

The client is a couple. He had a stroke 5 years ago. She had to stay at home to care for him. They have been living off savings and government support. The amount they have been living on is very little. She had to take money from her retirement account early to cover living expenses as her last resort. He is recovering but she is struggling to find work after a 5 year layoff from the workforce. These are not people who have made bad decisions, they have hit hard times. I know when I see clients feeding me BS about their spending habits. This couple is not that. I have known them for nearly 2 decades. Poverty sucks, especially when you live in a very high cost state. Tom Longview, TX

Probably about a month. They can keep checking the installment agreement IRS site and one day it will show a balance due.

And don't forget self caused issues, such as shielding income from W2 reporting. Zero SS recipients who could have managed their finances to reach SS max contribution get any sympathy from me. I discuss this daily, "why are you hurting yourself and your family by even considering W2 "games" before your SS wages reach the SS max every year?" Of course, there are those who do not believe in SS (and should not complain at all), but for the majority who will claim, belief or not, no complaints are heard from me unless they are collecting at or near the max. My own grandmother collected for just shy of 50 years... and we have planned for our disabled daughter to do the same (SSDI when I get to FRA) for hopefully 40+, plus if I meet my demise early, I will have left my spouse in good SS shape - by not gaming "reasonable compensation".