Ways to Access Records
Many IRS records are available for sale from the Government Printing Office, or are available through established agency procedures. Routine requests are most efficiently processed through those procedures. Refer to the chart below for information on obtaining tax records or the Electronic Reading Room for publicly available records.
To obtain a copy of a tax return, a written request is required:
IRS charges a fee of $57.00 for each copy of a return as originally filed. Send completed Form 4506 to the address provided on the form. [Note: a transcript of a tax account is provided free of charge and may be accepted in lieu of an original return.]
By phone: Obtain a copy of Form 4506 by calling the IRS Forms HOTLINE at (800) 829-3676.
Transcript of account:
Contact Taxpayer Service at (800) 829-1040 for individual taxpayer returns; at (800) 829-4933 for business taxpayers returns, or file Form 4506-T.
Tax-exempt or political organization returns:
By phone: Contact the Tax Exempt/Government Entities HOTLINE at (877) 829-5500, or send completed Form 4506-A to the address printed on the form.
Online: Forms 990 are available online through Guidestar, a privately funded database of nonprofit organizations. Some Employee Plan information is available online through private research services (e.g., FreeERISA.com ).
Tax forms and publications:
Online: Forms and Publications page
Phone: Contact the IRS Forms Hotline at (800) 829-3676
For tax account & technical tax law questions:
Individuals and businesses: Call Taxpayer Service at (800) 829-1040. GOOD LUCK GETTING THROUGH TO THESE 800 NUMBERS
Employee plans, tax-exempt, or political organizations: Contact the Tax Exempt/Government Entities hotline at (877) 829-5500.
Useful information online: Frequently Asked Questions
Tax Court cases are not IRS records:
Copies are available by writing to: U.S. Tax Court , 400 Second Street, NW, Washington, DC 20217.
Online: Available through public legal research or library services. Opinions issued since 01/01/1999 can be retrieved from the Tax Court’s Opinions Search page.
The Internal Revenue Code is not an IRS record:
An online version of the official copy of the IRC released by Congress can be accessed via the Tax Code, Regulations and Official Guidance page.
If you do need to make a FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT request to obtain the records you seek, please refer to the links under Guidance Accessing Info on this page.
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