How to locate CSED Date on IRS online account transcripts?

The CSED date isn't directly labeled on most IRS transcripts, which can make it confusing! What you're looking for is actually hidden in the transaction codes. Look for Transaction Code 971 on your transcript. Next to this code, there should be a date that represents when the IRS assessed the tax (usually shown as "assessment date"). Once you find this date, add 10 years to it - that's your CSED date. The 10-year collection statute starts from the date of assessment. Sometimes there might be events that extend this date - like if you filed for bankruptcy, submitted an Offer in Compromise, or requested a Collection Due Process hearing. These can add time to your CSED. If you really can't find it on your transcript, you can call the IRS directly and ask them to provide your CSED date for the specific tax year in question.

After struggling with the same issue for months, I finally found a solution with taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). I uploaded my transcript to them and their system decoded all the transaction codes, including identifying my CSED date that was buried in the technical jargon. Their system actually explained that my CSED had been extended multiple times due to various requests I'd made to the IRS over the years (something I didn't even realize was happening!). Saved me hours of frustration trying to decipher those cryptic transcripts on my own.

Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai with my complicated transcript situation. Wow, what a difference! My transcript had THREE different partial assessments (from amended returns) and the system clearly explained which dates applied to which portions of my tax debt. The analysis showed that part of my debt actually expires next month, while another portion has about 8 months left due to a Collection Due Process hearing I requested in 2017. This is information I've been trying to get clearly from the IRS for over a year! Wish I'd known about this tool sooner.

If you really need to speak with someone at the IRS about your CSED date (which I recommend to verify anything you find on your own), good luck getting through their phone lines. I spent DAYS trying to reach an actual human. Finally used a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with was able to look up all my CSED dates across multiple tax years and explain which ones had been extended and why. Really helpful for planning my financial future knowing exactly when certain debts will fall off.

I need to eat some crow here. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try Claimyr anyway because I was beyond frustrated with trying to reach the IRS. It actually worked exactly as described. The system called me back in about 35 minutes and connected me directly to an IRS representative who pulled up my account. Not only did I get my CSED dates for 2016-2019 (which were extended due to a bankruptcy filing I made), but the rep also found an error in how one of my payments had been applied that was actually keeping one debt active longer than it should have been. They're correcting it now which will move up one of my CSED dates by almost 6 months!

Here's a useful tip most people don't know: The CSED date might also appear as a "freeze code" on your account. Look for code 608 which indicates "Statute control." This isn't on all transcripts, but if you see it, the date associated with it is usually your CSED. Also, if you've had any installment agreements, the CSED is often extended for the time the agreement was in place PLUS an additional 30 days. This trips up a lot of people who are trying to calculate their own dates.

I saw some mention of the CSED on my Account transcript rather than the Return transcript. Make sure you're looking at the right document! The Account transcript shows all activity on your account including payments, penalties, and important dates. The Return transcript just shows the information from your tax return as filed.

Yes, you can definitely download your transcripts as PDFs! When you're logged into your IRS online account and viewing a transcript, look for a "Download" or "Print" button at the top of the page. The download option will save it as a PDF file to your computer. If you don't see a download button, you can also use your browser's print function and select "Save as PDF" as your printer destination. This works on most browsers and gives you a clean PDF copy for your records. I'd recommend downloading all your transcripts regularly, especially if you're tracking CSED dates or dealing with ongoing tax issues. Having your own copies can be really helpful if you need to reference specific transaction codes or dates later without having to log back into the IRS system every time.