Specificity Needed in Powers of Attorney for Information Returns

Most practitioners are familiar with the Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative. This form is signed by a taxpayer and designates an eligible person to represent the taxpayer before the IRS. IRS personnel will typically not provide information or otherwise discuss a taxpayer’s circumstances with a representative until they are provided with a Form 2848.

The Form requires a description of the matters for which the representation is authorized, including, where relevant, the type of tax involved, the federal tax form number, the specific year(s) or period(s) involved, and, in estate matters, the decedent’s date of death. The portion of the form where this is done looks like this. . .