IRS Gives Taxpayers New Faxing Option to Request Relief on Late International Forms

Taxpayers who are not under examination by the IRS now have “an easier, more efficient way” to submit electronic requests for relief when they have to submit international tax documents after a deadline, the tax agency said on Aug. 11. That electronic option is via a fax machine.

“Across the IRS, our teams are working to make improvements to help people, and this electronic option removes a step in the paper process that can help save time and ease burden on international taxpayers as well as the tax pros serving them,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a press release. “This is part of our larger effort to transform the IRS and help taxpayers.”

The new faxing option will apply to the following filings: gain recognition agreements, late-filed dual consolidated losses, and partnership gain deferral contributions.

The move is part of the IRS’s initiative to go paperless by the 2025 filing season. While fax machines are considered more of a relic than a cutting-edge piece of technology these days, they are not obsolete and are a tool the IRS still uses quite often.

“The ability for taxpayers to securely communicate with the IRS reduces their correspondence burden and delays in delivery while supporting tax compliance. It also allows for immediate documentation delivery to the IRS. This aligns with the IRS’s focus on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights by providing quality service in a timely manner,” the tax agency said last Friday. “For IRS employees, transitioning away from the manual mailing process reduces paper documentation and improves processing time, which benefits taxpayers.”

Requests can be submitted to the IRS via fax at 855-582-4842. Guidance for making each request can be found on IRS.gov using the following links: