The IRS has been steadily working through its IVES backlog.

Here’s some good news for a change: The Internal Revenue Service today issued an IVES Program update announcing that the Income Verification Express Services (IVES) will start accepting new submissions on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. That means tax professionals who need to submit a stack of Forms 4506-T don’t have much longer to wait.

The IRS announcement notes that they have been working diligently on finishing the backlog created when coronavirus concerns led to employees being sent home. While the IRS is about to fling open the doors to IVES, the newsletter passes along some important tips for anyone about to send in new transcript requests.

How do I get my submissions processed as quickly as possible?

“If you are sending your oldest inventory first, please ensure the taxpayers’ signatures meet the 120-day requirement,” the IRS advises. “We will be sending acknowledgements out to confirm the work we have received from you, so do not send us duplicate requests.”

The IRS also says that it’s important to fax documents to the IVES processing site designated for your area. Here are the fax numbers provided in the update:

While following these tips should help keep new requests moving along, the IRS cautions that tax pros need to temper their expectations.

“We want to remind you that we still have limited staffing, so processing time will be delayed,” the IRS explains. “Please know that we are aware of the urgency to accept additional work, and we’re working hard to restore full service to you while also protecting our employees.”

Source: IVES Program e-News and Updates (July 10, 2020)