Tax Filing: IRS Should Enhance Ghost Preparer Identification and Compliance Efforts in a Comprehensive Preparer Strategy
What GAO Found Ghost preparers are paid tax preparers who do not comply with requirements to identify themselves on tax returns they prepare for others. Ghost preparers may intentionally leave identifying information off to get away with filing fraudulent income tax returns, stealing taxpayers’ refunds, and stealing taxpayers’ identities. Courts have ordered individual ghost preparers to pay millions in restitution to the government, but according to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials, the total effect of ghost preparers is likely greater, in part, because ghost preparers are difficult to detect. IRS maintains some data on identified ghost preparers, but the systems IRS uses to track..
Reported by Maria LopezTax Filing: IRS Should Enhance Ghost Preparer Identification and Compliance Efforts in a Comprehensive Preparer Strategy.
The item is dated Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:28:51 -0400.
TeamCog is carrying it as a audits report from GAO reports and testimonies RSS.
What GAO Found Ghost preparers are paid tax preparers who do not comply with requirements to identify themselves on tax returns they prepare for others.
Ghost preparers may intentionally leave identifying information off to get away with filing fraudulent income tax returns, stealing taxpayers’ refunds, and stealing taxpayers’ identities.
Courts have ordered individual ghost preparers to pay millions in restitution to the government, but according to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials, the total effect of ghost preparers is likely greater, in part, because ghost preparers are difficult to detect.
IRS maintains some data on identified ghost preparers, but the systems IRS uses to track…
The handoff preserves the official source citation and source-completeness evidence supplied by discovery.
Official Source
GAO reports and testimonies RSS. Accessed 2026-10-16T15:00:02.027Z.