Electronic filing gets easier with expanded e-signature identification number option.
In the past, IRS efforts to fully implement e-filing were hampered by the agency's need to confirm a taxpayer's identity via a signature. That meant mailing in a paper form after a return was transmitted electronically. The agency improved the e-filing process when it provided a select group of taxpayers with numbers to use instead of the signature forms. Now the IRS is expanding the electronic PIN option. Also, individuals who didn't file a tax return last year but must this year and who were 16 or older by Dec. 31 can use the PIN filing method.