IDES testing schedule

Test period: July 8 - August 9, 2024

How to participate:

• Open to all IDES users that have completed IDES enrollment by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 26, 2024. If you enroll after the end of the enrollment period, you cannot participate in the upcoming test session.

• On the first day of testing, all users enrolled by the cutoff date will receive an email with links to access the current test servers via SFTP and HTTPS. Do not attempt to use previous tests links.

• Update your password and profile information BEFORE the enrollment cutoff. The IDES password expires every 90 days without notification.

• Verify that your digital certificate is valid and has not expired.

• After the enrollment cutoff date, the current user profile is transferred to a test environment. Any subsequent profile changes, such as adding or disabling users, updating email alert preferences, and changing passwords, are not reflected in the test environment. For example, if your password is expired on or you change your password after the enrollment cutoff date, you will need to re-set your password on the test environment using your challenge questions.

• To complete the enrollment process, obtain IRS-issued GIIN, FIN or HCTA Entity ID/username, and a valid certificate. Contact the IDES Help Desk for assistance.

Before you begin:

• Ensure test files do not contain any production data or personally identifiable information, such as a valid taxpayer number, account number, or social security number.

• Test FATCA Reports submitted must conform to the FATCA XML Schema version 2.0. Any files submitted using other than version 2.0 of the schema will generate error notifications.

• Verify the digital certificates uploaded to IDES for your organization are valid.

• Review the updated data preparation process, user tips and sample test packets on the IDES resources page.

• Use DocTypeIndic codes FATCA11-14 only during open testing periods. Do not use reporting codes, such as FATCA1.

• Review sample code for data preparation utilities using .Net, Java, OpenSSL and Unix on GitHub. The test environment will only support the FATCA XML Schema v2.0.

• Configure your email system to accept emails from the  idesgateway.com  and ides-support.com domains.

Important: Any production files submitted to the test environment will not be processed. Do not submit production files to the test environment or test files to the production environment.