If you need to verify if a company has filed all its tax returns, you must first obtain authorization from the company. A company can authorize any third party to receive and inspect its tax account information. Common reasons for needing the information may include verification for lending purposes or compliance information for tax return information.

Obtain a signed IRS Form 8821 from the owner or officer of the company you need information for (see Resources). This is an authorization form that the owner uses to authorize you to receive tax information on behalf of his company. Make sure the tax form number and type of tax return you need to verify is included in section 3, Tax Matters.

Complete the portion of the 8821 form that requires your information. In the “Appointee” section, write your name, address, CAF number, phone and fax number. A CAF number is an IRS number that identifies you as a person authorized to receive third-party tax information. If you do not have a CAF number, write “NONE” on the CAF number line, and the IRS will issue a number to you.

Call the IRS Practitioner Priority Service at 866-860-4259. This is an IRS hotline number that you can call to quickly check tax filing compliance.

Fax the IRS agent the 8821 form. The IRS agent can hold while you send the fax and give you the company account information when he receives the authorization. Ask the agent if the company has any missing returns for the tax forms you need information on.