IRS Form W-7 (COA) is a legal document that needs to be attached to every completed IRS Form W-7. The COA indicated in the name of the form stands for “Certificate of Accuracy” and is developed by an ITIN Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA, further). It serves as the official verification of the fact that the applicants have all the legal papers to be considered an “identity” or acquire the “foreign status.” By accepting Form W-7 (COA), the CAA confirms that the applicants have presented documents that are original, correct, and completed by all the norms and requirements.
The set of necessary documents can vary depending on every individual situation. If you, as an ITIN applicant, fall under the category of an “Exception” criteria (following the general and specific guidelines inside the form), you might need to attach such additional papers as the letter from a financial institution or a copy of a withholding document. Check the requirements for your exact case to learn what papers you need to collect and submit.
When ITIN applicants fill in Form W-7 (Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) and attach Form W-7 (COA) to it, they need to include the further data in the form:
Every ITIN applicant has to fill out one Form W-7 and one Form W-7 (COA) respectively to be verified by the Internal Revenue Service as an “identity” or to receive a “foreign status.” ITIN applicants must attach copies of original papers to these forms. The copies are required to verify their status (check the list of necessary papers on the official IRS website.
If you’re a dependent individual and want to file Form W-7 and Form W-7 (COA), you need to attach a copy of your birth certificate or a passport to these forms (one copy is enough for a set of documents). As to other papers to be presented by the dependents, please check with the official IRS website and attach the original papers or their copies verified by an issuing agency.
Other IRS Forms for Individuals
Depending on the complexity of your finances, you might need to file several IRS forms along with the standard tax return form for individual taxpayers. Check what IRS forms are often used by our users.
Depending on the quantity of time you want to spend on paperwork, you can choose one of the further options of filling out Form W-7 (COA): you can utilize our form-building software with a PDF editor or use our illustrated step-by-step guidelines for extra assistance).
No matter what option you choose, you can be sure no mistakes will be made if you’re following the guidelines drafted neatly by our skilled experts below.
Get Acknowledged with the Guidelines
You are not obliged to, but we highly recommend you to get acknowledged with the general and specific guidelines, referring to Form W-7 (COA) completion. It is always easier not to make mistakes at all than fix them, especially if these are mistakes in legal papers. Even the slightest mistake can lead to a situation when the supervising body declines your application, and you need to file it once more, wasting your precious time (and money, sometimes).
Moreover, you can find some useful tips and definitions for various terms mentioned in the form template here. There is no need to google them if they’re right at your hand.
Type in the Introductory Data
Type in the name of the official verified representative. Enter the business name of the CAA organization the official verified representative is advocating for. Ensure to provide its full and correct legal name.
Also, register the signing date of the form, or Certificate of Accuracy, in other words.
Define the Supporting Documentation Statuses
In this part of the form template, the ITIN applicant has to define the statuses of all the supporting documents presented in the list. The ITIN applicant must check the corresponding boxes and report whether the application refers to acquiring an “identity” number or a “foreign status.” Check the possibility of defining documentation as “foreign status” as sometimes it is only possible if the paper is foreign.
If there’s room for a specific condition or situation meeting the “Exception” criteria, please enter the name of the partnership and the Employer Identification Number (EIN).
Ensure the Signing of Form W-7 (COA)
The official verified representative of the CAA must sign the finished form and enter the signing date. Also, the CAA’s representative has to type the Acceptance Agent Office code, Acceptance Agent EIN, and Acceptance Agent PTIN.
Deliver the Legal Papers to the Supervising Body
After all the necessary documents are collected and all signatures are presented in the finished form, an ITIN applicant must deliver them to the supervising body, which is the Internal Revenue Service.
Check attentively whether all the necessary documents are on your hands before sending them to the IRS.
