Modernizing at the Speed of a Snail

As the IRS slowly creeps into the 21st century, they announced an extension of the allowance of some digital signatures and the use of encrypted email until “more robust technical solutions are deployed”.

The reason the technology has lagged is not the fault of the IRS, but is a direct correlation to the funding they’ve been allowed from Congress for the past several decades.

The allowance of additional signature methods were expanded during COVID, and it’s fantastic that it’s being continued.

Another change that’s being made is an overhaul of the actual filing system beginning in April. The plan is to run it in parallel with the legacy system and have it hopefully bug-free by the 2025 filing season (for 2024 returns).