IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) Portal Submission Issues - Application Not Working

I had a similar issue when submitting my CAA application last month. The system is notoriously glitchy, especially during high volume periods. The "other ID" they're likely referring to is your EFIN (Electronic Filing Identification Number) if you have one, or possibly your EIN if you're a business entity. For the certificate upload issues, make sure your file format is exactly what they specify (usually PDF) and that the file size is under their limit (typically 3MB). I had to compress my documents because they were initially too large. As for the email non-response, unfortunately that's common. The CAA program office is understaffed and overwhelmed. Your best bet is to call the Practitioner Priority Service line at 866-860-4259. Have your PTIN ready, and they can usually check the status of your application and provide guidance on the submission issues.

After spending days frustrated with the CAA portal last year, I finally found a solution using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). It's a tool that helped me sort through all the required documents and ID issues for my application. Their system automatically detected the problems with my submission format that were causing the portal to reject my uploads. The CAA portal has specific requirements for document naming conventions and metadata that aren't well-documented. Taxr.ai identified that my PDFs had hidden metadata from our office system that was triggering security flags in the IRS portal. Once I cleaned those up, my submission went through instantly.

I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it actually worked! My CAA application had been stuck for weeks with the same "PTIN not active" error even though I had renewed it months ago. The tool flagged an issue with how my professional credentials were formatted in the PDF - apparently the portal was choking on the special characters in my designation abbreviations. Also found out my browser was automatically compressing my uploads which was corrupting some data. After fixing both issues following their suggestions, my application went through yesterday and I already got the confirmation email this morning. Honestly didn't expect it to work but I was desperate after wasting so much time on this.

For anyone still struggling with the CAA portal or any IRS phone issues, I finally got through to a real person using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). After trying for days to reach someone at the IRS, I was ready to give up on my CAA application altogether. They have this system that holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you back when an agent is about to answer. You can see how it works in their demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was skeptical but desperate after spending hours listening to the IRS hold music. The agent I spoke with explained that there's a known issue with the CAA portal that's affecting many practitioners. The "other ID" is actually referring to your Application ID which should have been emailed to you when you first started the application process. Not the same as your customer ID!

Ok I need to eat my words here. After posting my skeptical comment yesterday, I tried Claimyr out of pure frustration. Got connected to an actual IRS CAA program specialist in about 45 minutes (while I was doing other work). The specialist confirmed there's a database synchronization issue between the PTIN system and the CAA portal that's affecting tons of applications. The "other ID" is actually your Application Control Number which should be on the initial confirmation email when you started the application. My issue was that I never received that email, so she manually looked up my ACN and stayed on the phone while I successfully completed my submission. She even expedited my application due to the system issues! Wouldn't have gotten this resolved for months without speaking to someone directly.

I just finished my CAA application last week and had similar issues. In my case, the problem was I kept trying to use Chrome. When I switched to Microsoft Edge (ugh) it suddenly worked. Sometimes the simplest solution is just trying a different browser! Also make sure you're using a desktop/laptop and not trying to upload from a mobile device. The portal seems to hate mobile browsers with a passion.

Has anyone figured out the specific file naming convention for the CAA uploads? I'm at the same stage and keep getting rejected but the error messages are completely useless.

I'm dealing with the exact same CAA portal nightmare right now! Been stuck on the document upload for over a week. The "other ID" they're asking for is definitely the Application Control Number (ACN) that should have been in your initial confirmation email when you started the application. If you can't find that email, try searching your inbox for "CAA application" or "Application Control Number" - sometimes it gets buried or filtered. If you still can't locate it, you'll need to call the Practitioner Priority Service line to get them to look it up manually. For the upload issues, I found that clearing my browser cache and cookies completely before trying again helped. Also make sure you're not using any browser extensions that might interfere with the upload process. The portal is incredibly finicky about file formats and browser compatibility. The $270 fee definitely stings when the system doesn't work properly. Hopefully the IRS will get these database sync issues sorted out soon - this seems to be affecting a lot of people applying for CAA status right now.

I just went through this exact same CAA portal nightmare last month and wanted to share what finally worked for me after weeks of frustration. The "other ID" is indeed your Application Control Number (ACN) - mine was in a confirmation email with the subject "CAA Application Reference Number" that got filtered to my promotions folder in Gmail. For the upload issues, here's what solved it for me: I had to save my PDFs using "Print to PDF" instead of just exporting from my scanner software. Apparently the portal has issues with certain PDF metadata that scanners add. Also, make sure your documents are saved at 150 DPI or lower - higher resolution files seem to cause silent upload failures even if they're under the size limit. The timing issue is real too - I found the portal works much better early in the morning (6-8 AM EST) or late evening after 8 PM when fewer people are using it. During business hours it's almost unusable. Don't give up on that $270! Once you get past these technical hurdles, the actual review process is pretty straightforward. The IRS really needs to fix these system issues though - it's ridiculous that tax professionals have to jump through so many hoops just to submit a simple application.

I'm going through the exact same CAA application headaches right now! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the Application Control Number being the "other ID" they're asking for. I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what they wanted beyond my customer ID. Just checked my email and found the ACN buried in my spam folder with the subject "IRS CAA Application Initiated" - would never have thought to look there without seeing Omar's comment about searching for it. The browser compatibility issues are so frustrating. I've been using Firefox and having the same silent upload failures that Charity mentioned. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and use Edge, even though it pains me to install Microsoft software just for one government portal. The timing and PDF metadata tips from Summer are game-changers too. I've been trying to upload during lunch breaks at 600 DPI scans - basically doing everything wrong according to what's been shared here. Going to try the early morning approach with lower resolution "Print to PDF" files and see if that finally gets me through this process. It's ridiculous that we need a whole community troubleshooting session just to submit a basic professional application, but at least we're helping each other navigate this broken system. Thanks everyone for sharing your hard-won solutions!

I've been following this thread closely as I'm preparing to submit my own CAA application next month, and all of these troubleshooting tips are incredibly valuable. It's honestly appalling that the IRS hasn't addressed these systemic issues with their portal when so many qualified practitioners are struggling with the same technical problems. Based on everything shared here, I'm going to create a pre-submission checklist: find my ACN email (and move it out of spam), use Edge browser, upload during off-peak hours (early morning), save documents as "Print to PDF" at 150 DPI or lower, use the LastName_FirstName_DocumentType_mmddyyyy.pdf naming convention, clear browser cache before starting, and keep files under 3MB. It's ridiculous that we need this level of technical workaround knowledge just to submit a professional certification application, but I really appreciate everyone sharing their hard-earned solutions. This community support is more helpful than any official IRS documentation I've found. For those still struggling, you might also want to document your technical issues and submit complaints to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). If enough practitioners report these portal problems, maybe we can get some official attention on fixing these systemic issues that are clearly affecting the entire CAA program.

I'm currently stuck in the same CAA portal nightmare and this thread has been a lifesaver! After reading through everyone's experiences, I realized I've been making several of the common mistakes - using Chrome during peak hours, scanning at high resolution, and had no idea about the Application Control Number issue. Found my ACN email in my spam folder just like several others mentioned (subject line "IRS CAA Application Reference Number"). The IRS email system clearly has deliverability issues if so many of us are finding these critical emails in spam. I'm going to try the early morning Edge browser approach tomorrow with the proper PDF formatting. It's incredible that in 2025 we need this level of technical wizardry just to submit a professional application, but I'm grateful for this community sharing solutions. One question for those who successfully completed the process - after you got past the upload stage, how long did it take to receive approval? I'm wondering if I should expect more delays given all the systemic issues people are experiencing. Also want to echo the suggestion about documenting these issues for TIGTA. The IRS needs to know how broken their CAA portal is and how it's impacting qualified practitioners trying to serve taxpayers. This level of technical dysfunction is unacceptable for a critical government service.

This entire thread perfectly captures the CAA portal frustration so many of us are experiencing! I've been stuck at the document upload stage for over two weeks, and reading everyone's solutions has given me a clear action plan. Like several others, I found my Application Control Number email in spam with the subject "IRS CAA Application Reference Number" - the IRS email system clearly has major deliverability problems if this many practitioners are missing these critical notifications. I've been making almost every mistake mentioned here: using Chrome during peak hours, uploading 600 DPI scans, and getting nowhere with the generic error messages. Tomorrow I'm trying the community-tested approach: Edge browser at 6 AM, "Print to PDF" files at 150 DPI, proper file naming convention, and cleared browser cache. It's mind-boggling that we need a crowdsourced technical manual just to submit a basic professional application in 2025. The IRS portal infrastructure is clearly not equipped to handle the volume or complexity of modern document uploads. I'm also planning to document my experience and file a TIGTA complaint as suggested. If enough practitioners report these systemic issues, maybe we can finally get the IRS to prioritize fixing their broken systems instead of forcing qualified professionals to become IT troubleshooters just to serve taxpayers. Thanks to everyone for sharing your hard-won solutions - this community support is more valuable than any official IRS documentation!