MyFTB Corner November 2018 Tax News

Requesting Full Online Account Access Gets Easier

Starting January 2, 2019, you can request full online account access to your client's MyFTB account information, when you submit Power of Attorney (POA) declaration or Tax Information Authorization (TIA) requests.  

Adding the request for full online account access on the POA/TIA forms and with Add TIA Client in MyFTB will eliminate the extra step currently needed for you to request full online account access after the POA declaration or TIA request is approved. This will help you more quickly self-serve your clients using MyFTB.

Note: The online account access level (full or limited) does not affect the information you can receive with an active POA or TIA relationship by phone, chat, in writing, or in person.

How To Request Full Online Account Access on forms FTB 3520 PIT, FTB 3520 or BE Power of Attorney Declaration and FTB 3534 Tax Information Authorization

A new section, Request MyFTB Full Online Account Access for Tax Professional(s), will be added to the forms effective January 2, 2019.

Draft language on FTB 3520 PIT

Draft language of form FTB 3520 PIT.

Select “Yes” to Request Full Online Account Access to your client's MyFTB account information.

Request Full Online Account Access in MyFTB

MyFTB will be updated so you can request full online account access when you submit a new POA declaration or Add a TIA client. For POA declarations, you must use the new FTB 3520 PIT or 3520 BE to request full online account access at the time of submission.

What happens when there are multiple representatives on a POA declaration?

For POA declarations with multiple tax professional representatives, the online account access request applies to all tax professional representatives listed on the declaration and will override the access level for any existing POA/TIA relationship(s) between the taxpayer and the tax professional representatives listed.

What will happen if the POA declaration or TIA request is rejected?

If rejected, the online account access request will not be processed.

What happens if the POA declaration or TIA request is approved?

If approved, we will send a letter to your client (FTB 1124/1125) to let them know the POA declaration or TIA request has been approved. Once approved, you can receive information by phone, chat, in writing, or in person. Additionally, at the time the POA declaration or TIA request is approved, we grant the tax professional representative(s) listed, limited online account access to their client's MyFTB account information.

If full online account access is requested on the POA declaration or TIA request, we send a separate letter (FTB 3911) to the taxpayer that includes an authorization code to authorize or deny full online account access for the tax professional(s) listed.

For POA declarations with multiple representatives, the FTB 3911 letter will list a separate authorization code for each tax professional representative who has a Tax Professional MyFTB account. We will not issue a code for a tax professional representative who already has full online account access to their client's MyFTB account information or for those who do not have online access.

What will happen if the taxpayer does not authorize full online account access after they receive the authorization code letter (FTB 3911)?

If the taxpayer denies the request or does not use the authorization code within 30 days, the tax professional will retain limited online account access.  

Can the online account access level be changed after the POA declaration or TIA request is approved?

Yes. The tax professional can request full online account access to their client's information on MyFTB. When requested, we will send a letter (FTB 3911) to the taxpayer that includes an authorization code to authorize or deny the request. Additionally, the taxpayer can change the online account access level from full to limited in their MyFTB account or call us.

Can a new request for online account access affect previously authorized online account access levels?

Yes. A new request for online account access (limited or full) authorized by the taxpayer will override the access level granted for any existing POA/TIA relationship(s) with the taxpayer. The authorization is made at the representative level, not the relationship type (POA/TIA). As indicated above, the online account access level does not affect the information a representative can receive by phone, chat, in writing, or in person.

How can a tax professional determine if they have multiple relationships with a taxpayer?

Each Relationship Type (POA/TIA) and Online Access (Full/Limited), for a specific client, will display as a separate row on the Client List in the Tax Professional's MyFTB account.

Example: Taxpayer on Client List with multiple Relationship Types (POA and TIA).

Taxpayer on Client List with multiple Relationship Types (POA and TIA)