E-File - End of the Paper Era
Mar 03 '00
Technology and the IRS no longer reside on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Using Turbo Tax from Intuit and two e-file Customer Numbers (ECN), courtesy of the IRS’ signature pilot program, I was able to file our 1040 without ever lifting a pen.
This has been my third consecutive tax return transmitted electronically and the second year of using the ECNs. Participants in the above-mentioned pilot substitute an IRS assigned customer number for their signatures on form 8453-OL (Individual Income Tax Declaration for an e-file On-Line Return). No more mailing the darn thing within 48 hours either…
The best part: in 1999 I filed on April 15th with direct deposit as the chosen method of refund. On April 23rd the amount was credited. Since this year I filed earlier in the tax season, the turnaround time should be equal or even less.
So what makes you so sure this is safe, a friend asked me a little while ago.
Well, nothing really. To me it is more a matter of "what are the chances?". Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet should be aware by now that there is no total protection from hackers. If someone wants to get in, they will find a way. If someone gets in, they won’t just hit my account; they will hit others too. Eventually a pattern will be established, the point of entry discovered. The IRS will recognize that I filed my return correctly and that I filed it on time. They will leave me alone and go after the bad guy!
Jokes aside, call me naive, but I assume that the IRS would not carelessly risk exposure to more negative publicity after all the senate hearings and hence protect our records using state-of-the-art encryption and security systems. Similar story with Intuit! With the proliferation of online financial services and Intuit’s desire to secure a large market share, I find it hard to believe that they would install anything but the latest and greatest. For the techies among you, the Intuit website states that SSL (128-bit Secure Socket Layer) is used for the transmission of your return to Intuit’s data centers, same encryption technology as used by the banking industry (that was for the benefit of the non-techies).
On both web sites you can find the typical information on security and privacy issues. The info in the Turbo Tax program and on Intuit's web site are identical. All parties make a sincere effort to sooth their customer’s fears, but I just cannot take these statements very seriously considering that every computer expert says, “All we can do is try to keep pace with the hackers”!
For more IRS information on e-filing copy this link (http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/elec_svs/index.html) into your browser, for info on the IRS Web Security and Privacy Policy use this link (http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/news/efoia/priv-pol.html). I found the IRS site very easy to use, much easier than Intuit’s.
A tip to the IRS though: you should mail the ECNs for both husband and wife separate and in envelopes (as opposed to together on a folded postcard secured with a sticker)! Spouse A could easily abuse this superb system and file an online tax return without Spouse B ever laying eyes on the return or its details. Now make Spouse A a tax cheater and this may turn ugly for Spouse B...
Happy filing!
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