The IRS app was launched on Sept. 25, 2026, replacing the longstanding incumbent platform IRS2Go. It was designed to give individual taxpayers their balances, histories, transcripts, and notices without disrupting the job for tax professionals. Clients will now see IRS activity on mobile before many firms do, making a mobile-ready intake process for notices and documents a new top priority heading into the 2027 filing season.
Key takeaways
- The IRS app launched Sept. 25, 2026, with ID.me account access. It replaced IRS2Go, which launched in January of 2011
- The app is initially extending features only to Individual Online Accounts, with Tax Pro Account and Business Tax Account data staying native to IRS.gov
- Select notices will initially appear in the app, while clients can go paperless, which puts mail from firms at risk of missing the opportunity window
- Clients can pull their own transcripts and IP PINs, which lessens the need for firms to request things
- Truss facilitates client requests, eSign, and return deliveries for clients in a mobile browser
What were the major changes announced last week?
IRS2Go was primarily a refund tracker and payment system. The IRS app is currently a mobile version of an Individual Online Account. When a taxpayer signs in using ID.me, they can view their balances, make payments, read notices, and download transcripts.
For 15 years, the IRS offered clients a very limited mobile app experience. There wasn’t much to do on IRS2Go except check on the status of one’s refund. The new app, which runs on iOS 15.1 or later and Android 7.0 or later, is available to existing users through a normal app store update, and includes expanded capabilities such as:
- Checking refund and amended-return statuses
- Viewing available balances and making payments via account, card, or digital wallet
- Reviewing payment activity and scheduled payments
- Receiving select IRS notices and letters
- Accessing and downloading tax records, including transcripts
- Retrieving Identity Protection PINs
- Updating email, bank account information, and paperless preferences
Some important context to consider: The IRS had its budget slashed in advance of this rollout. The original $79.4 billion set aside for the agency by the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 lost roughly $53 billion of its funding to rescissions, and after spending over $16.5 billion of what remained, there was only about $8.6 billion on hand for technology projects as of March, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The agency still built a brand-new mobile experience and says it “plans to continue expanding the app with new capabilities and services over time.”
Can tax professionals use the IRS app?
No. The FAQ on the IRS’ website says the app “initially extends selected IRS Individual Online Account features only” and does not yet include Business Tax Account or Tax Pro Account features. Those could be coming at a later date, but for now, they remain on IRS.gov. Practitioners still use their desktop Tax Pro Accounts, which were expanded for firm-level management in February, to manage CAF authorizations and client account views.
In layman’s terms, the IRS put taxpayers on their smartphones while leaving the practitioners on their work laptops. But practitioners did get a real boost in February when Tax Pro Accounts got expanded capabilities, with business CAFs linked to EINs and firm-wide viewing and withdrawal for authorizations. That continues to live in a web browser, and the IRS FAQ was explicit that only taxpayers should ever log into their own accounts, meaning credentials “should never be shared” with their accountants.
“The new IRS app advances our digital-first agenda to meet taxpayers how and where they choose to interact with the IRS. We will continue to make IRS services easy to access and more consistent across all of our platforms.”
The quote above is fairly explicit: The IRS is doing its best to meet your clients where they’re most comfortable interacting. A client could reasonably ask why their accountant isn’t making the same effort if it’s not obvious that the firm is doing all it can to go mobile.
How does the change impact a firm this season?
The biggest impact is that enrolled clients will see select notices and balance changes in the app before mail from a firm arrives, if the firm is even proactive enough to make sure those notices go out. Clients also can take the firm out of the loop on routine transcript and IP PIN requests due to self-service. Clients also have phone capabilities for tax interactions, which makes desktop-only portals potential sources of friction moving forward.
Below is a chart that shows the similarities and differences in the new online experiences for taxpayers dealing directly with the IRS, firms dealing directly with the IRS, and taxpayers and firms interacting through a portal:
| Capability | IRS app (taxpayer) | Tax Pro Account (firm) | Firm client portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device(s) | Phone, ID.me sign-in | Desktop browser | Depends on vendor |
| Notices | Select notices, in-app | CAF copies by mail, plus Online Account view for authorized notice types | Whatever client uploads |
| Transcripts | In-app downloads | View for authorized clients | Client forwards |
| Payments | Pay and schedule in-app | Pay on client’s behalf | Invoice only |
| Sending documents | Not supported | Not supported | Core function |
If your firm is looking to be proactive between now and January, here are some adjustments you can make to your workflow to get ahead of the way taxpayer habits might change:
- Set a notice rule. The IRS now says that “some notices are legally required to be mailed” and only “a select number of notices are available to view or download.” Informing clients that anything they see in the app gets screenshotted and sent to the firm, and that going paperless does not stop the CAF copy for authorized notices, could reduce negative feedback when mail still shows up.
- Move transcript pulls to the client. If clients do not have an active 8821 or 2848, the app is now their fastest path to an account or wage-and-income transcript. Send them written instructions, build trust by giving them an easier client experience, and stop doing the transcript chasing yourself all in one go.
- Audit your own mobile experience. Give your own portal a whirl on your phone, request a document from yourself, sign it, and check the time elapsed. Does that experience hold up to the new IRS app? If not, clients will pass judgement on your firm in ways they didn’t before.
How does your firm’s client experience compare to the IRS app?
A good mobile client experience doesn’t mean you need to build an app. Truss’ mobile browser runs document requests, eSign, secure return delivery, and Stripe payments so clients answer requests on the same screen they use to check their IRS balances. Truss is SOC 2, Type II audited, works with all major tax filing software, and holds a 4.9 rating on G2 and Capterra.
In going the app route, the IRS set a product vision: a one-stop shop for client-facing engagements, sign-in through a secure browser window, and an account that carries over from one interaction to another. But firms don’t have to match the IRS’ app engineering capabilities to match the client experience.
The new standard is phone-native client tax workflow, and Truss is one of the tools that meets the standard. Document requests arrive as a link, and the client can open their phone, upload or take pictures of the necessary documents, sign when needed, and all of those tasks show as complete on the firm side whenever they’re handled.
“You look at some of the competitors, we reviewed all of them, and they all still wanted to direct you to a portal. The problem is we have like three or four portals that clients are trying to adjust to. The fact that this is the main point of contact and they don’t have to log in anywhere just eases the tension of them getting us the documents that we need.”
Truss isn’t meant to compete with the new IRS app in any way, but one side of the client’s relationship to their taxes has now gone mobile by default. A firm either has to adapt their portal capabilities to meet that expectation or expect that getting documents from clients is going to be even tougher than it already was.
What to tell clients about the new IRS app
Being proactive goes a long way. It makes sense to send clients a note before the 2027 season begins, telling them to install the IRS app, sign in with their ID.me credentials, and forward anything the app shows to the firm if they need clarification. The IRS also warns that lookalike apps exist, and that anything that requests personal information by text, email, or pop-up is a scam.
Here is a checklist a firm could send to its clients to make sure they’re using the new app correctly, guided by the IRS help page and FAQ:
- Install the app from the official stores only (App Store, Google Play). Report look-alike apps at IRS.gov/submitatip
- Existing IRS2Go users can get the new app through a normal update without a new download
- Sign in with ID.me takes place in a secure browser window and the session ends after 60 minutes
- Refund status checks and guest payments work without an ID.me login
- Not all notices appear in the app, so keep opening physical mail addressed from the IRS
- Best practice is to screenshot any notice, balance change, or payment issue you see and send it to your accountant the same day
- Never share your IRS login information with anyone, including your accountant
Truss is the more-in-one tax workflow platform — helping accounting firms collect client info, manage workpapers, prep returns with AI support, and deliver everything in one place. Book a demo.