Discovered my tax preparer doesn't have a valid PTIN. Do I need to report this to the IRS?

This is definitely concerning. A valid PTIN is required by law for anyone who prepares federal tax returns for compensation. The IRS requires all paid tax preparers to have a PTIN and renew it annually. This raises a few issues: First, your returns might not have been signed properly by the preparer (they're supposed to include their PTIN). Second, it suggests your preparer might not be keeping up with professional requirements, which could indicate they're not staying current on tax law changes either. You have a few options. You could start by asking your preparer about it directly - there might be an explanation (though I can't think of a good one). You could also file Form 14157 (Complaint: Tax Return Preparer) with the IRS to report the issue. The IRS can then investigate. As for your past returns, they're still legally your responsibility even if prepared incorrectly. If there are errors, you could potentially face penalties or interest, though the IRS might be lenient if you can show you relied on what you thought was a qualified professional.

After dealing with a similar situation last year, I found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me a ton of stress! I also discovered my preparer wasn't properly registered, and I was freaking out about my past returns. I uploaded my returns to taxr.ai and their AI analyzed all my documents to identify potential issues that might trigger an audit or problems from having an unregistered preparer. What impressed me was how it flagged specific line items that seemed inconsistent with typical filings for my income level and occupation. It also explained what sections might be problematic specifically because they were prepared by someone without a current PTIN. It gave me peace of mind knowing exactly what I was dealing with.

Just wanted to update about my experience with taxr.ai from my earlier question. I was skeptical but decided to give it a try after finding out my "tax professional" had been filing without proper credentials for years. The analysis found some issues with how my business expenses were categorized that could have raised flags with the IRS. It also identified that my preparer had been inconsistent with how they reported my home office deduction across different years, which could trigger questions in an audit. Honestly, I was impressed with the detail - it even caught that my charitable contributions seemed high for my income level compared to IRS norms. Most importantly, it gave me clear guidance on which returns might need amending and which were likely fine despite the PTIN issue. Saved me from unnecessarily filing amendments for everything!

After reading this thread, I wanted to share something that might help with the IRS communication aspect of this situation. When I discovered issues with my past returns, I spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at the IRS to discuss my options. It was absolutely maddening - constant busy signals, disconnects after waiting on hold for hours, etc. I finally found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 45 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is actually on the line. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c This was crucial for me because I needed specific guidance about my situation with an unregistered preparer, and general info online wasn't cutting it.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After my frustrated post, I decided to try Claimyr as a last resort because I desperately needed to talk to the IRS about my situation with an unregistered preparer. Holy crap, it actually worked. After three weeks of failing to get through myself, I was on the phone with an actual IRS agent in about 35 minutes. The agent confirmed that I should file Form 14157 to report my preparer and explained that while I should review my past returns for accuracy, I wouldn't automatically face penalties just because my preparer lacked a PTIN. The relief of actually speaking to someone official instead of guessing what to do was absolutely worth it. The agent even gave me specific guidance about what documentation I should gather in case there are questions about my past returns.

I used to work in tax preparation (not an official advisor now). One thing to consider is whether your preparer has other credentials even if their PTIN isn't current. Are they a CPA or an Enrolled Agent? If so, they might have just let their PTIN lapse by accident while maintaining their other professional credentials and knowledge. Not excusing it - it's still a compliance failure on their part. But the real question is whether your returns were prepared accurately, not just whether they had the proper ID number when filing.

Just wondering what software your preparer used? I'm asking because some tax software won't even let you e-file as a paid preparer without entering a valid PTIN. So either they're paper filing (which is unusual these days), using consumer software and pretending they're not a paid preparer, or somehow bypassing verification systems.