If you own or represent any organization in the United States, you might be aware of plenty of forms required by the US Internal Revenue Service (or IRS). Many of them are related to the taxes you and your entity must pay; however, some of them are used for other aims and help to simplify taxpayers’ lives: for instance, IRS Form 8655.
Because the tax procedures can be complicated sometimes, your organization, regardless of its type, can contract a Reported Agent (or RA) to file some forms and complete some actions tied to taxes on your behalf. If you decide to do so, you should notify the government about your decision and submit the above-mentioned form in which you authorize your new agent to undertake various tasks.
It is vital to mention that your RA must be an organization, not an individual. This organization will be able to sign and file certain forms and make various payments for you.
In the template, you will add your organization’s and your future agent’s basic details (names, addresses, EINs, phone numbers, and so on) and determine what the agent can or cannot do on your entity’s behalf. You will also define the month and year from which your agent can start doing its job. See the details about the template and its completion below.
Other IRS Forms for Business
Along with IRS forms devised to report financial information to the IRS, there are forms to facilitate payment of taxes for businesses. You can find out more information about similar forms on our website.
You, as the organization owner or a shareholder, can most probably complete the template by yourself. It is not that hard, and you must fill out just one page and provide basic details that are not rocket science.
You will see a list of the forms and actions your agent will be able to submit and accomplish on behalf of the entity you represent. If any of the things you note in the document seem odd or unfamiliar to you, consult your accountant or a tax specialist to avoid undesired consequences in the future.
You must ensure that your template is accurate and actual before you fill it out. To get the proper version, either visit the Service’s website or make use of our advanced form-building software that regularly provides clients with not only IRS Form 8655 but also plenty of other legal forms widely used in the United States.
When the form has arrived, use our manual below that explains in detail how to create your own paper correctly and deliver it to the public authorities.
Check the Instructions Provided in the Form
This form offers you the Service’s guide — you can read it on the second and third pages. Before you start writing details in the document, read these guidelines carefully to complete the form in conformity with the rules.
Enter Your Organization’s Info
You should describe your entity in the form’s initial block, so the Service understands who is assigning an agent.
Enter the business’s name and trade name (if there is any), EIN (employer identification number), full address, a responsible person who can be contacted regarding the matter, their phone number, and fax number. In line 4, mark the box if you are a seasonal employer.
Appoint the Reported Agent
The second block is for assigning the reporting agent and providing its details to the Service. Write its name, EIN, address, person to contact, phone and fax numbers.
Authorize Your Agent
You have to give authorization for several types of actions: signing and sending forms for your organization and making deposits and payments on its behalf.
In Section 15, you will determine records your agent can sign and submit. You will have 11 different forms to choose from and empty lines near them where you should put the period from which your permission is effective (year and month).
In Section 16, you will state for which forms your agent can make deposits and payments. You will be given 12 options and blank lines for dates again. Pick those you consider relevant for your case.
Then, check the box in the following section if you want the Service to provide your agent with copies of certain papers. Answer the questions regarding your agent’s permit to deal with confidential info and forms 3921, 3922, W-2, and 1099. Finally, read the statement in line 19 and the Authorization Agreement and mark the box if it is applicable to your situation.
Sign the Document
Signing this form is mandatory — this way, you confirm everything you have stated in the document. Leave your signature in the line on the left, the title in the middle, and the current date on the right.
If you have read the first step of our instructions, you might have seen the mailing address IRS provides there for this form. Sometimes the Service changes addresses and instructions, so we recommend looking through its guide every time you are creating its forms.
Currently, IRS Form 8655 is accepted via regular mail — you should send it to the center in Ogden, Utah. See the full address in the template (Page 2, right-hand side, “Where to File” section). Send the form when it is ready.
Yes. Your template must be drawn in accordance with the Service’s rules. If you feel like making your own form and maybe delegate additional tasks to your agent, check the Service’s Publication 1167 to understand how to create your own form properly and get the public authority’s permission.
Of course. The Service’s guide provides all details about how to cancel your form and the agent’s permit. Basically, you have to either send a copy of the existing form where you write “REVOKE” in a certain place and sign it again under your previous signature. If there is no copy anymore, you must provide the Service with a statement about the revocation. The address where you should send those papers is the same. Check the guide for more info.
