A Certifying Acceptance Agent is an individual or an entity who is authorized by the IRS to assist alien individuals and other foreign persons in obtaining Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) from the IRS.
A CAA can verify the original and certified copies of identifying documents from the issuing agency for primary and secondary ITIN applicants, except for foreign military identification card, and may now certify passports and birth certificates for dependents. A person acting in its capacity as a CAA does not act as an agent of the IRS and is not authorized to hold itself out as an agent.

Once you contact us, we will determine your eligibility for an ITIN number. You should get an ITIN if the following applies to you:

1. You do not have a Social Security Number and are not eligible to obtain one, and
2. You have a requirement to furnish a federal tax identification number or file a federal tax return, and
3. You are in one of the following categories:

• Nonresident alien who is required to file a U.S. tax return
• S. resident alien who is (based on days present in the United States) filing a U.S. tax return
• Dependent or spouse of a U.S. citizen/resident alien
• Dependent or spouse of a nonresident alien visa holder
• Nonresident alien claiming a tax treaty benefit
• Nonresident alien student, professor or researcher filing a U.S. tax return or claiming an exception

If so, then you must apply for an ITIN.

The IRS issues ITINs to help individuals comply with the U.S. tax laws, and to provide a means to efficiently process and account for tax returns and payments for those not eligible for Social Security Numbers. They are issued regardless of immigration status, because both resident and nonresident aliens may have a U.S. filing or reporting requirement under the Internal Revenue Code. ITINs do not serve any purpose other than federal tax reporting.

The main purpose and the reason why the ITIN was created is for filing U.S. tax returns. Additionally, and in the second place, having an ITIN will allow an individual to open a bank account in the U.S. (both personal and commercial), to start business in the U.S. (an LLC or corporation), to open a Stripe and PayPal account, or apply for a credit card, as it is a type of tax ID required by the entities involved in these processes. Therefore, the ITIN will enable you to perform all these secondary processes, but these secondary processes will not enable you to access an ITIN. As mentioned above, THE SOLE PURPOSE OF HAVING AN ITIN IS THE FILING OF TAX RETURNS.

Apply for an ITIN in person using the services of an IRS-authorized Certifying Processing Agent. This way you can avoid having to mail in your documents to prove your identity and alien status.

What documents are acceptable as proof of identity and foreign status?

The IRS streamlined the number of documents the agency accepts as proof of identity and foreign status to obtain an ITIN. There are 13 acceptable documents. Each document must be current and contain an expiration date. The IRS will accept documents issued within 12 months of the application if no expiration date is normally available.  Documents must also show your name and photograph, and support your claim of foreign status. Below is the list of the only acceptable documents:

• Passport (the only stand-alone document) *
• National identification card (must show photo, name, current address, date of birth, and expiration date)
• U.S. driver’s license
• Civil birth certificate (required for dependents under 18 years of age)
• Foreign driver’s license
• U.S. state identification card
• Foreign voter’s registration card
• U.S. military identification card
• Foreign military identification card
• Visa
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) photo identification
• Medical records (dependents only – under 6)
• School records (dependents only – under 14, under 18 if a student)

*A passport is the only document that proves both identity and foreign status.  For dependents, the passport must have a date of entry to be a stand-alone document, unless the dependent is from Canada or Mexico, or a dependent of U.S. military personnel stationed overseas.  If a passport is not submitted, a combination of two or more documents must be submitted to meet the document requirements.

No, only original identification documents or certified copies of documents will be accepted.

The delay in processing applications by the IRS can vary depending on the time of year, but on average it takes 13 to 16 weeks to process.

If you have to file a tax return in 2021, and your ITIN has expired or is expiring before you file your return in 2021, the IRS recommends that you renew your ITIN immediately, to avoid possible delays in processing your tax return. If you use an expired ITIN on a U.S. tax return, the tax return will be processed and treated as timely filed, but without any credits and/or exemptions you may claim, and no refund will be paid. You will receive a notice explaining the delay with the refund and warning you of the expired ITIN.

Because your ITIN does not expire and there are no tax implications at this time, you should wait and renew your ITIN when it is scheduled to expire.

Taxpayers whose ITINs are expiring can renew their ITIN immediately. You don’t have to wait for the IRS to send you an expiration notice, if the IRS has identified your middle digits for expiration. You should allow 7 weeks from the mailing date of the Form W-7 for the IRS to notify you of your ITIN application status (9 to 11 weeks if you submit the application during peak processing periods (January 15 through April 30), or if you’re filing from overseas.)

EIN stands for employer identification number. It is a federal tax ID that is a unique 9-digit number. This number is used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other federal government agencies to identify a business for tax purposes.

Employer identification numbers (EINs) are mandatory for any business that has employees. EINs are also required for any business that is legally established as a corporation or a partnership, regardless of whether they have employees or not. It may also be required for foreign companies or entities that conduct business in the United States in a personal capacity or through other American entities and are required to file tax returns.

There are two options for obtaining an EIN. An online application can only be filed if a member of the organization has an SSN. Otherwise, the application must be filed by sending the required documentation by fax. For the first option, an EIN will be almost immediately issued. For the second option, an EIN will be issued within two weeks. In both cases, the IRS will send a formal notice by regular mail to the declared address.

An EIN allows the business owner/principal to file tax returns, open a business bank account, an apply for business licenses, among other activities.

• An ITIN is for federal tax reporting purposes only
• An ITIN will not allow the individual to work in the U.S.
• An ITIN does not grant eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

For more information, please visit https://www.irs.gov/itin