Ensuring a smooth POA process: a few reminders August 2018 Tax News

Over the past few years, our submission and approval process for Power of Attorney (POA) Declarations has changed, in part to enhance the security of taxpayers’ confidential information. We know there have been some challenges moving forward with this, so we want to give you a few reminders to help ensure a smooth process for the POA Declarations you submit.

Electronic Signatures

We do not accept electronic or stamped signatures, including signature style fonts available in Word or Adobe as electronic/digital signature on paper or uploaded POA Declarations. This is one of the more frequent reasons for a POA being rejected. Please be sure to have wet signatures on all POA Declarations you submit.

Mismatched Names (POA vs. POA Wizard)

Another common occurrence where we see POA Declarations rejected is when the number of representative names on the uploaded copy of the POA Declaration does not match with what was entered on the POA Wizard in MyFTB. An example of this would be; an uploaded POA Declaration lists three representatives but only one representative is entered (or vice versa).

Uploading Multiple POA Declarations to One Client’s Account on MyFTB

When multiple POA Declarations for different clients are uploaded at one time, to one taxpayer’s account, it creates an issue. We are unable to process the additional POA Declarations as they are associated to an incorrect taxpayer’s account. We are unsure whether you intended to submit all the POA Declarations so we do not process them. Only upload the POA Declaration for client entered in MyFTB. For more information on how to submit a POA declaration on MyFTB see, Submit Form FTB 3520 PIT or BE, Power of Attorney Declaration.

We are always looking for ways to improve our POA and other processes in order to better serve you. With your help, we will continue to do this.