Setting up an IRS Online Account is an easy and secure way for taxpayers to quickly get information about their IRS activity, such as any tax due balance, payments made, and tax records for the past several years. Taxpayers should be aware that balances update no more than once every 24 hours, usually overnight, and should also allow 1 to 3 weeks for payments to show up in the payment history.

Setting up an IRS Online Account allows you to view:

  • Their payoff amount, which is updated for the current day
  • The balance for each tax year for which they owe taxes
  • Their payment history
  • Key information from their most current tax return as originally filed
  • Payment plan details if they have one
  • Digital copies of select IRS notices
  • Economic Impact Payments if they received any
  • Their address on file

Taxpayers can also use their online account to:

  • Select an electronic payment option
  • Set up an online payment agreement
  • Access tax records and transcripts
  • Approve and electronically sign Power of Attorney and Tax Information Authorization
  • requests from their tax professional

Here's how new users get started:

  1. Select "View Your Account" on IRS.gov homepage.
  2. Select the "Create or View Your Account" button.
  3. Click "Create Account."
  4. Pass Secure Access authentication. This is a rigorous process to verify the taxpayer's identity. They must be able to authenticate their identity to continue.
  5. Create a profile.

All password-protected online IRS tools for taxpayers are protected by multi-factor authentication. Once the initial authentication process is complete, returning users can use the same username and password to access other IRS online services such as Get Transcript and Get An Identity Protection PIN, if applicable.