Published: August 27, 2024 | Last Updated: February 3, 2026

Increase Awareness of the Need for IRS Oversight of Paid Federal Return Preparers

Background

Return preparers play an essential role in tax administration and, in recent years, paid tax return preparers prepared the majority of the individual income tax returns filed. Many of these preparers have no credentials and are subject to no minimum standards, such as competency tests, continuing education, or ethical rules. IRS data shows that there are significantly more non-credentialed paid tax return preparers than the total of all credentialed paid preparers preparing individual returns and non-credentialed preparers disproportionately serve lower-income taxpayers. For example, non-credentialed preparers prepared approximately 82 percent of the tax year (TY) 2022 individual returns claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that were prepared by paid tax return preparers. IRS oversight of the profession would protect taxpayers by imposing ethical rules on and ensuring a minimum level of competency for paid federal return preparers. The absence of such oversight exposes taxpayers to harm imposed by inept or dishonest return preparers. Because taxpayers bear ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of their own returns, incompetent and unethical return preparers subject taxpayers to unanticipated tax deficiencies, penalties, interest, overpaid taxes, or lost refunds.

Highlights

Status

Expected Completion Date

09/30/2025

Activities

Activity 1: Conduct research in connection with the development of the related Purple Book legislative recommendation to identify statistical data supporting the need to impose minimum competency and ethical standards on paid federal return preparers.

Activity 2: Develop outreach (e.g., NTA Blog, TAS Tax Tips) to raise taxpayer awareness on how to select a reputable tax return preparer.

Activity 3: Meet with congressional members and staff throughout the year and during the Congressional Affairs Program conference, as appropriate, to discuss the Purple Book legislative recommendation to authorize the IRS to establish minimum competency standards for federal tax return preparers.

Activity Updates

Activity 1: TAS leadership decided not to pursue this research activity. In the future, TAS will re-evaluate conducting this analysis. This activity is being closed.

Activity 2: TAS continued to look for opportunities to develop outreach material to increase the awareness of the risks inherent in the lack of oversight of paid return preparers. NTA released a blog titled “The Road Ahead for Pending Tax Administration Litigation,” that urged Congress to continue moving forward with the TAS Act provisions, which include on tax return preparer oversight. In addition, TAS published a TAS Tax Tip: How to keep your personal and tax information safe explaining the importance of choosing a credible tax professional. TAS will continue to advocate for legislative change for oversight of return preparers. This activity is being closed and all FY2026 actions will be tracked under the new FY2026 Systemic Advocacy Objective which aligns to these efforts.

Activity 3: The National Taxpayer Advocate and her senior advisor have had multiple (and ongoing) discussions with congressional staff members. They will continue to hold conversations and bring this issue to the attention of congress. Recommend this activity to be closed.

1st Quarter Actions Completed

As Filing Season 2025 is beginning, TAS is looking to Congress to pass legislation to regulate return preparers. TAS will resume advocating for return preparer regulation post-Filing Season.

TAS has published a ‘TAS Tax Tip’ warning taxpayers about the current state of tax fraud that focuses on victimizing taxpayers and the importance of carefully selecting a tax professional.

2nd Quarter Actions Completed

TAS will resume advocating for return preparer regulation post Filing Season. To date, there has been no legislation passed to regulate return preparers.

The National Taxpayer Advocate released a blog celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that included information on the importance of choosing a preparer carefully. TAS also published a Tax Tip discussing the need to wait for information returns before filing a tax return and to make sure taxpayers are using a reputable tax preparer.

TAS is monitoring the pending legislation titled Taxpayer Assistance and Service “TAS Act”, that would amend the Internal Revenue Code section 6109, which requires all Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) holders to meet minimum standards to retain their PTIN registration. All external outreach in the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) has been paused until further notice so this issue will be addressed once Congressional outreach sessions are restarted.

3rd Quarter Actions Completed

TAS will resume advocating for return preparer regulation during next quarter.

The National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) released a blog titled “The TAS Act Strikes a Reasonable Balance on Return Preparer Oversight,” which discussed how the legislation could significantly enhance taxpayer rights. The National Taxpayer Advocate also released the annual Objectives Report to Congress in June, that included a discussion on the need to strengthen IRS oversight of unethical tax return prepares as one TAS’s Systemic Advocacy Objectives for Fiscal Year 2026.

The National Taxpayer Advocate and her senior advisor have had multiple (and ongoing) discussions with congressional staff members. They will continue to hold conversations and bring this issue to the attention of congress.

4th Quarter Actions Completed

TAS leadership decided not to pursue this research activity. TAS will re-evaluate in the future conducting this analysis. Recommend this activity be closed.

In August 2025, the National Taxpayer Advocate released a blog titled “The Road Ahead for Pending Tax Administration Litigation,” which urged Congress to continue moving forward with the TAS Act provisions, which includes a section on tax return preparer oversight. In April 2025, she also published a blog titled “The TAS Act Strikes a Reasonable Balance on Return Preparer Oversight” which provides more details.

Return to FY26 Objective Statuses