IRS launches five-week security series for tax professionals

Loudoun Forward section: Policy & Risk
Word count: 307

The Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners launched a five-week summer campaign on July 7, 2026, to help tax professionals protect client data and respond to tax-related identity-theft threats. The campaign is titled “Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself.”

The Security Summit brings together the IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry. The 2026 series focuses on emerging scams directed at tax professionals, basic security controls and the steps firms should take when data is stolen.

The first week’s guidance identifies several recurring threats. These include impersonation attempts by email, text message and telephone; misleading tax claims distributed through social media; fake prospective-client messages carrying malicious links or attachments; and phishing attempts aimed at obtaining professional identification information such as Electronic Filing Identification Numbers, Preparer Tax Identification Numbers and Centralized Authorization File numbers.

The IRS advises tax professionals to verify unusual requests, train employees and review core security practices. A firm that discovers a data breach should contact its local IRS Stakeholder Liaison. The IRS says prompt reporting can allow it to alert the appropriate offices, take steps to block fraudulent returns filed in clients’ names and help the affected tax professional through the response process.

The agency also directs tax professionals to report incidents to the relevant state tax agency and review Federal Trade Commission breach-response requirements as part of a written information-security plan. Later weeks in the campaign cover phishing and the “Security Six,” written security plans, protective tools and signs of identity theft.

The announcement does not establish that any particular accounting, payroll or tax-preparation firm has been targeted. It provides current federal guidance for businesses that handle taxpayer information. Firms should use the series to review who verifies unusual messages, how staff are trained, where the security plan is stored and who is responsible for making required reports after an incident.

Verified reference sources

• Internal Revenue Service — Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself Summer Series
• IRS Security Summit