EFIN Application Prep | PCS Tax Partners

This follows the IRS e-file application screen by screen, in the same order, so you have every answer ready before you start. We help you prepare, submit, and track it. The IRS decides approval and timing.

Never type these here — you enter them yourself, only on IRS.gov: Social Security numbers, dates of birth, IRS passwords, ID.me codes, your 5-digit IRS PIN, or answers to the IRS personal questions. This page saves only on this device. Nothing is sent to PCS.

0Before you start

The IRS: each person on the application registers with e-Services themselves. A new user creates a 5-digit PIN at first sign-in — it signs the Terms of Agreement and submits the application.

Every owner/officer and the person running the e-file operation has their own IRS e-Services account (ID.me: personal email, phone for codes, SSN/ITIN and a government photo ID — kept to themselves). Each of them knows they’ll create their own 5-digit PIN and keep it private. If you’re an LLC or corporation: it’s formed with the state and has its EIN. (A brand-new EIN can take up to two weeks to work for IRS matching.) I understand a saved IRS application only stays saved for 90 days.

1Firm information

IRS screen “Firm Information.” Starred items are required there. If you leave “Doing Business As” blank, the IRS uses your legal name.

Business structure

Tax ID the firm will use

Legal name

Doing Business As (optional)

EIN (businesses only — never an SSN)

Business phone

Business address (the physical office where returns are e-filed)

Mailing address, if different

“Do you want your firm/organization contact information posted on the IRS.gov public website?” (the IRS preparer locator — it starts on Yes)

YesNo

“Do you own or operate Web site(s) through which taxpayer information is collected, transmitted, stored or processed?”

YesNo

If Yes: after your EFIN arrives, you must go back into the application and register those web addresses (“URL Collection”).

One application covers one office location. Every office that e-files returns needs its own.

2Provider option

IRS screens “Application Details” and “Add Provider Option.” Most tax offices choose Electronic Return Originator (ERO) — the firm that starts the electronic filing of its clients’ returns.

Provider option

Electronic Return Originator (ERO) — most tax offices Something else — talk to PCS before applying

Service type

For ProfitNot for Profit

PCS’s own role with the IRS is separate from yours. Your office always needs its own EFIN — an EFIN is never shared, rented, or transferred.

3The people on the application

IRS screens “Authorized Users,” “Principals,” “Responsible Official,” “Primary Contact,” “Alternate Contact.” One person can fill every role.

Principal: legally responsible for the firm (sole proprietor = the owner; partnership = partners with 5% or more; corporation = president, vice president, secretary, treasurer). Responsible Official: in charge of the e-file operation and the IRS’s first contact. Primary Contact: required, reachable daily for IRS questions. Alternate Contact: optional.

4Credentials or fingerprints

IRS screen “Personal Credentials.” Attorneys, CPAs, enrolled agents, bonded banking officials fingerprinted in the last two years, and officers of publicly held corporations can enter their credential. Everyone else on the application is fingerprinted by the IRS’s authorized vendor within 30 days of submitting.

Add the people in step 3 to see who needs what.

After submitting: open the Application Summary → “Terms of Agreement Signature(s) & Personal Information.” Each person has their own scheduling link. Use the IRS’s authorized vendor only. PCS helps you book it.

5Personal questions and signature

IRS screen “Personal Suitability Answers and TOA Signature.” Each Principal and Responsible Official answers their own questions, reviews the Privacy Act statements, and signs the Terms of Agreement with their own PIN.

Only you answer these, only on IRS.gov. PCS never sees or fills them in. The IRS may check tax filing and payment history, credit, criminal background, and past e-file compliance. A past issue is reviewed case by case — there are no automatic rules either way.

I’d like a private conversation with PCS about eligibility before I apply. (Just check the box — don’t write details here.)

6Firm questions

IRS screen “Firm/Organization Suitability Questions.” Answered for the firm on the application before it can be submitted.

The firm’s own tax filings and payments are current (or on a payment plan), and the records are handy.

7Submit and track

IRS screen “Submission Completed.” You get an acknowledgment with a tracking number. The IRS checks the records, fingerprints (if needed), and tax compliance. If everything passes, the EFIN arrives by U.S. mail. The IRS says up to 45 days — some take longer.

Date submitted

IRS tracking number

Check the online status weekly and open IRS mail right away. IRS e-help: 866-255-0654, 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Central. After approval, update the application within 30 days of any change (people, addresses, phones).

Your summary

“Save as PDF”: in the print window, pick Save as PDF as the printer. The Word file opens in Microsoft Word or Google Docs and can be edited.