Why did a Third Party Request my Tax Transcript? Is this legit?

This is actually a standard notification from the IRS. When anyone requests your tax transcript (with proper authorization), the IRS sends you a notification letter as a security measure to make sure you're aware someone accessed your information. Common legitimate reasons someone might request your transcript include: mortgage applications, student loan applications, background checks for employment, or if you're working with a tax professional who's helping resolve an issue for you. Sometimes you might have authorized this access without realizing it by signing Form 4506-T or similar documents. If you haven't done anything like this recently, I'd recommend contacting the IRS directly at 1-800-908-4490, which is their Identity Protection Specialized Unit. They can tell you who requested your transcript and whether it was authorized.

I went through something similar last year and was totally freaking out until I talked to someone at taxr.ai who explained the whole transcript request system. I uploaded my letter to https://taxr.ai and their system analyzed it and gave me a full breakdown of what it meant and my options. Turns out in my case it was a mortgage lender I'd spoken to months earlier who pulled my transcript as part of a pre-approval process I didn't even remember authorizing. The taxr.ai service showed me exactly what to do - they have this cool AI that scans tax documents and explains everything in plain English without all the IRS jargon.

I have to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai after I tried it. My skepticism made me hesitant, but I got another tax notice last week and decided to give it a shot. I uploaded my letter (similar to your transcript request notice) and it immediately identified it as an IRS CFOL transcript request notification. It explained that CFOL stands for Centralized Authorization File On-Line and told me exactly what information was shared and what my rights are. The free version gave me enough information to understand what was happening, and I found out it was my student loan servicer who requested the transcript during a routine income verification. Saved me hours of stress and a long phone call to the IRS. Definitely worth trying before you panic.

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about this (which I recommend), good luck getting through on those phone lines! After trying for days to reach someone about a similar issue, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to an IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was shocked it actually worked - used https://claimyr.com and they basically navigate the IRS phone tree for you and call you back when they have an agent on the line. The agent I spoke with looked up my transcript request and told me exactly which company had requested it (turned out to be a background check for a job I applied to). Totally worth it to avoid sitting on hold for hours.

I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After struggling for over a week trying to reach the IRS about a transcript request notification (just like yours), I broke down and tried it. I was completely prepared to report them as a scam if anything sketchy happened. Instead, I got a call back in about 25 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line! The agent confirmed that my mortgage lender had requested my transcript (which I had authorized but forgotten about). No more wondering or worrying. The service saved me literally hours of hold time and frustration. They don't even ask for any sensitive information - they just get you through to an agent.

In my experience, 99% of these transcript request notices are legitimate and something you actually authorized. I've gotten them after: - Applying for an auto loan - Talking to my bank about refinancing (even though I didn't go through with it) - Filling out the FAFSA for my kid's college - Having my accountant prepare my taxes The IRS sends these notices as a security measure, which is actually a good thing! It means nobody can access your tax info without you finding out about it.

I know this is stressful, but the good news is the IRS is actually NOTIFYING you that someone accessed your transcript. That's the security system working! Years ago they didn't even send these notices and third parties could access your info without you knowing.

I had this exact same panic when I got one of these letters last month! Turns out it was completely legitimate - my credit union had requested it as part of a routine review for a credit line increase I had applied for weeks earlier and completely forgotten about. The key thing is don't ignore it, but also don't assume the worst. Call that IRS number that Liv mentioned (1-800-908-4490) and they'll tell you exactly who requested it and when. In my case, the representative was really helpful and explained that these notifications are actually a good security feature - it means no one can access your tax information without you being informed. If you can't get through on the phone (those lines can be brutal), you can also request a copy of your Account Transcript online through the IRS website, which will show you a record of who accessed your information. Just make sure you're on the official IRS.gov site, not some third-party service.