Security Summit: 2016 Accomplishments, 2017 Initiatives

Information for Taxpayers

Taxes. Security. Together. We all have a role to play in protecting your data

The IRS, the states and the tax industry first came together in November 2015 and has continued in 2016 to identify even more safeguards to protect your federal and state tax accounts from identity thieves.

See more information on "Taxes. Security. Together" and 2015's Security Summit: Protecting Taxpayers from Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud.

Information for States and Industry Partners

IRS, States and Industry Partners Provide Update on Collaborative Fight Against Tax-Related Identity Theft

On June 28, 2016, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen and Summit participants provided an update on the progress made by the working groups in the past year and turned their attention toward 2017 efforts.

For more information, please see the IRS news release.

IRS, Industry, States Take New Steps Together to Fight Identity Theft, Protect Taxpayers

The Internal Revenue Service and its partners — representatives of the software industry, tax preparation firms, payroll and tax financial product processors and state tax administrators — announced progress made in the past year in their collaborative effort to combat identity theft refund fraud to protect the nation's taxpayers.

For more information, please see the IRS fact sheet.

Information for Tax Professionals

Tax Professionals: Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Increasingly, tax professionals are being targeted by identity thieves. That's why, in addition to new security safeguards initiated for 2016 and planned for 2017, the Security Summit has launched a campaign aimed at tax professionals: Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself.

For more information, please see the IRS news releases IR-2016-96 and IR-2016-103, and fact sheet.

Additional information

Remarks by IRS Commissioner John Koskinen

Speaking at the Security Summit in June, Commissioner Koskinen announced a new and important phase of the Summit group's ongoing efforts to protect taxpayers and the tax system against stolen identity refund fraud, stating, "We will continue to build on the accomplishments of this past year and continue providing stronger and better safeguards for taxpayers, to protect them and the tax system against the crime of identity theft."

For more information, see Commissioner Koskinen's full remarks.

From IRS Partners

Please see news releases from the following IRS partners on the 2016 Security Summit and collaborative efforts to protect taxpayers and tax administration from identity theft refund fraud:

• H&R Block PDF
• Intuit PDF
• National Association of Tax Professionals (obsolete)
• Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (obsolete)

For More Information

For more information on identity theft and taxpayer protection, please see:

• Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance
• Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers and Victims
• Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft
• Taxes. Security. Together. We all have a role to play in protecting your data