Free IRS form checker Beta

Upload the form the way you would send it — a typed PDF, a flattened copy from tax software, or a scan — and in a few seconds (about a minute for a scan) you get the entries that look missing or inconsistent with the IRS line instructions, each with the instruction it comes from.

It's the same check we run on every form before we fax or mail it for a customer. Automated hints, not tax advice: you decide what to change.

Several files (a return and its schedules)? Select them together — we check them as one package.
Pick the form, add the PDF — the check starts by itself.

Automated hints, not tax advice. We're not a tax preparer and don't guarantee the IRS will accept the form.

What it checks

Form SS-4 — EIN application

  • entity type and reason for applying (lines 9a, 10) — one box each
  • responsible party and SSN/ITIN line 7b ("Foreign" is allowed)
  • your return fax number, so the IRS can fax the EIN back
  • dates, county and state, signature and title

Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 — foreign-owned LLC

  • the 1120 header: "Foreign-owned U.S. DE", EIN, dates, address
  • Part I of 5472: reporting corporation, the year's box 1c
  • Part II/III: the foreign owner, country codes, tax ID
  • Part IV/V transactions and the signature

Form 1065 + Schedules K-1 — partnership

  • every page and schedule in IRS order, the form's year
  • partners' K-1 items E/F/H/I/J/L, totals that should match
  • Schedule B questions and the signature
  • check marks outside the boxes (iPhone Markup)

Form 7004 — 6-month extension

  • the form code on line 1 (12 for a single-member LLC, 09 for a partnership)
  • "Foreign-owned U.S. DE" across the top when you fax it
  • the tax year and whether the deadline has already passed
  • EIN, name, address, lines 6–8

Form 3911 — refund trace

  • your TIN, joint-return spouse data and signatures
  • one tax period per form
  • the bank routing number's check digit
  • Section II boxes and the signature

Form 3115 — accounting method change (duplicate copy)

  • DCN on line 1a, applicant type, filer signature
  • every Yes/No question answered
  • a tax-year change filed on the wrong form (it goes on Form 1128)

Form 8832 — entity classification election

  • EIN (no "Applied for"), line 1 and the 60-month rule
  • owners vs. line 6: a multi-owner LLC can't be disregarded
  • the effective date: more than 75 days back or 12 months ahead
  • late-election relief (Part II) and the consent signature

Form 2553 — S corporation election

  • EIN, effective date and selected tax year (Part II for a fiscal year)
  • a late election without the item I explanation
  • every shareholder's consent, shares and SSN on page 2
  • foreign shareholder addresses (no nonresident aliens)

Form 2848 — power of attorney

  • taxpayer TIN, representatives and CAF numbers
  • line 3: no "all years", a year for every matter
  • "Sign a return" without the 1.6012-1(a)(5) statement
  • taxpayer signature and each representative's Part II row

Form 8821 — tax information authorization

  • taxpayer TIN and the designee's CAF number
  • line 3: no general references, years listed
  • lines 4 and 5 together, attachments for line 5
  • a dated, handwritten signature

Form 4506-T — tax transcript request

  • one form number on line 6 and one transcript box
  • periods on line 9 as real end dates
  • the attestation box next to the signature (unchecked = returned)
  • signature, date and title for a business

Form 843 — refund / penalty abatement

  • one reason box at the top, TIN and address
  • tax period, amount, lines 4–7 boxes
  • the Code section of the penalty (e.g. 6038A for Form 5472)
  • the line 8 explanation and the signature

Reply to an IRS notice (CP2000, CP14, Letter …)

  • the fax number you're sending to vs. the one printed on the notice
  • the response due date on the notice
  • a copy of the notice and your own reply in the file
  • your SSN/EIN on the reply pages when the notice asks for it

Any other IRS form

  • which form it is — and, if we have rules for it, the full check
  • its revision against the current one on irs.gov
  • a form that was left empty

Form 8802 — U.S. residency certification (Form 6166)

  • the Pay.gov e-payment confirmation number (no number = not processed)
  • a disregarded entity: Form 6166 certifies only a US-resident owner
  • line 7 current year without the penalties of perjury statement
  • line 8 in YYYYMM, a purpose on line 9, signature and date

Form 911 — Taxpayer Advocate request

  • TIN, address, phone and the issue / relief described (12a, 12b)
  • a signature by the taxpayer or the representative
  • the spouse's signature on a joint request, CAF number

Form 14039 — identity theft affidavit

  • Sections A and B boxes, the notice number when replying
  • the victim's name, 9-digit SSN/ITIN and address
  • Section F for someone else's affidavit, and its attachments
  • the signature and date (Section E)

Form 8655 — reporting agent authorization

  • taxpayer and agent EINs
  • start periods on lines 15/16 in YYYY or YYYY/MM
  • at least one authorization, signature and title

Form 14157 — complaint about a tax preparer

  • the preparer's name and address, the tax period
  • a complaint box on line 11a and the facts on 11b
  • the taxpayer's signature and documents to attach

Form SS-8 — worker status determination

  • firm, worker, SSN and the service dates
  • unanswered questions on pages 2-4 ("Unknown" is allowed)
  • the signature and the W-2 / 1099 copies the IRS requires

Form 8233 — treaty exemption for a nonresident's pay

  • tax year, U.S. TIN, no P.O. box, country written in full
  • treaty and article (12a/12b) and the facts on line 14
  • the owner's and the withholding agent's signatures

Form 637 — excise tax registration

  • activity letters checked against the form's chart
  • Section A answers, Section C for fuel activities K, M, S, Y
  • the signature and printed name

Form 8886 — reportable transaction (OTSA copy)

  • name, TIN and the return it belongs to (item B)
  • transaction name, type and the guidance number for 2a/2e
  • tax benefits on lines 7a, 7b and the 7e description

Form 8023 — section 338 election

  • purchasing and target corporations, EINs, tax years
  • the 80% qualified stock purchase and the 9-month deadline
  • lines 6-9 elections and every required signature

Form 8806 — acquisition of control

  • reporting and acquiring corporations and EINs
  • the 45-day / January 5 deadline from line 5a
  • line 6 and the Part IV consent signature

Form 8918 — material advisor disclosure

  • the advisor's name, TIN and address (the number is mailed there)
  • original or amended (item C), transaction type and guidance number
  • lines 6a and 13 and the signature

Questions

Yes. No signup and no card. If you want, you can then send the form to the IRS through us — fax from $2.49, or Certified Mail for forms the IRS only takes by mail.

The file is used only for the check and deleted from our server after 24 hours. While the checker is in beta, our team looks at the results — sometimes with the file — to fix findings that were wrong. We never share it.

Yes. Typed fillable PDFs are read exactly; scans are read with OCR, so an "empty" field on a scan is reported as "check this", never as an error.

No. The check compares what it can read with the IRS instructions. It doesn't know your facts, and it isn't a tax preparer. Treat it as a second pair of eyes.

The current revision on irs.gov — and for yearly returns like 1065, the form for the year you are filing. An outdated revision is flagged; we re-check irs.gov every week.

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