The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), enacted in 1966, gives any person the right to access federal agency records, unless the information is protected from public disclosure by one of nine exemptions. Under FOIA, certain information submitted to the IRS by an individual with an active preparer tax identification number (PTIN) must be disclosed by the IRS and the individual cannot opt out of the disclosure. FOIA requires the IRS to release information about PTIN holders including: Name Business name Business website address Business phone number Business mailing address – Either a physical address or a P.O. Box is acceptable as a business address. Professional credentials Updating your contact information To maintain the privacy of your personal information, PTIN holders can update contact information. Instructions for online account holders Instructions for paper account holders Unwanted solicitations Legitimate IRS emails regarding PTIN issues are sent from two email addresses: irs@service.govdelivery.com and Taxpros@ptin.irs.gov. The IRS is aware of malicious emails attempting to spoof these email addresses. Pay careful attention to whether an email is actually from one of these addresses. You can report suspicious phishing emails at our Report Phishing and Online Scams page. If you receive email solicitations from other organizations and they are unwanted, the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Consumer Protection provides guidance on whether an email or other contact violates the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 and how to report violations. Additionally, exercise caution on websites without a .gov domain. Only sites with the .gov domain are official government websites. PTIN application changes To clearly distinguish between public and private information, the IRS changed the “Permanent Mailing Address” box on the PTIN application to “Personal Mailing Address”. This change clarified that the information is personal and exempt from public disclosure under FOIA rules. Also, the IRS removed the prohibition on entering a post office box in the “Business Mailing Address” box on the PTIN application. PTIN holders may now enter a P.O. Box as their business mailing address. If you used your Personal Mailing Address as your Business Mailing Address or used a street address when you preferred to provide a P.O Box as your Business Mailing Address, you may update your contact information. But note that your Business Mailing Address is not exempt from disclosure under FOIA rules and it will be released even if it is the same as your Personal Mailing Address. Return to PTIN/FOIA Home
