IRS adds QR codes to key balance due notices to help taxpayers
Starting in October, the IRS will be adding barcodes to CP14 and CP14 IA notices. These notices inform millions of taxpayers that they owe money on unpaid taxes and their payment options.
The innovation aims at helping taxpayers with some inconveniences:
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Navigation to the IRS.gov website is more secure and simple now
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A smartphone is all needed to set up a payment plan or contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service
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No need to call or interact with the IRS directly, it’s possible to resolve some tax situations online
"These codes will give taxpayers immediate access to the most important information for them to pay their balances, set up payment agreements or reach out for help," said Darren Guillot, the IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Deputy Commissioner for Collection and Operations Support.
"We understand there's a lot of information on the web, and we want to give taxpayers more secure tools that can more easily help them resolve their tax situations."
In the future QR codes might be added to other balance due notices from the IRS.
A QR code (Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode). QR codes can be used to store bank account information or credit card information, or they can be specifically designed to work with particular payment provider applications. Typically, a smartphone is used as a QR code scanner, displaying the code and converting it to some useful form (such as a standard URL for a website, login information, thereby obviating the need for a user to type it into a web browser).