IRS Form 8918 (Material Advisor Disclosure Statement) Fax Numbers
Where and How to Fax a 8918 Form?
IRS Form 8918 is a specialized disclosure document for material advisors involved with tax shelter transactions. It gives advisors a formal mechanism to notify the IRS of their involvement with potentially abusive or complex tax transactions, a proactive regulatory tool advisors use to document their participation and keep their advisory activities transparent to tax authorities.
What is an IRS Form 8918?
Filing Form 8918 does three things:
- Reporting Involvement: it requires material advisors, who may be tax professionals or other non-employee service providers, to disclose detailed information about the tax shelter transaction. This includes the nature of the transaction, the advisor's role, and any compensation received.
- Enhancing IRS Oversight: by collecting data on these transactions, the IRS is better positioned to track and evaluate potential tax abuses. The disclosed details help the IRS identify areas where aggressive tax strategies might be misused.
- Ensuring Compliance: the information provided via Form 8918 assists in enforcing transparency and accountability, thereby deterring the use of questionable tax shelters.
IRS Form 8918 Fax Numbers
- 844-253-5607: all material advisors (toll-free number for faxing a complete, signed Form 8918)
This is a current IRS procedure for faxing Form 8918 in place of mailing it, in effect "until further notice." You must sign the form before faxing it, the IRS will not accept an unsigned copy. Send only one Form 8918 per fax, up to a maximum of 100 pages, with a cover sheet listing the subject, your name, title, phone number, and address, the material advisor's name, the date, and the total page count (no EIN or SSN on the cover sheet). The IRS does not provide a fax confirmation or receipt, so keep your own transmission log. After processing, the IRS mails a Letter 4373 with your reportable transaction number, which you must then pass on to every taxpayer and material advisor you acted for.
How to Fax Your Form 8918 to the IRS
As a material advisor, you're required to disclose each reportable transaction on a signed Form 8918 within a set window after taking on the engagement. Fax.Plus lets you sign, send, and confirm delivery of that disclosure statement straight from your computer, phone, or email, giving you a timestamped record to keep alongside the reportable transaction number the IRS sends you afterward, since the IRS itself does not provide a fax confirmation.
Fax From Computer
Fax From Mobile
Fax By Email
Fax By Scan
Why do you need an IRS Form 8918?
- Regulatory Compliance: Filing helps ensure that you comply with IRS regulations aimed at curbing abusive tax shelters.
- Transparency: By disclosing detailed information about the transaction and your role in it, you contribute to a transparent tax system where potentially aggressive tax strategies are scrutinized.
- Risk Management: Early disclosure allows the IRS to monitor such transactions and take timely action if the transaction appears to be designed to evade taxes or exploit gaps in the tax law.
- Penalty Avoidance: Failure to file the required disclosure may result in penalties or additional scrutiny from the IRS; therefore, timely and accurate filing is crucial if you fall under the filing requirements.
Who needs to file an IRS Form 8918?
- Material Advisors: Individuals or entities that provide significant non-employee advisory services, such as tax professionals, accountants, or financial advisors, in connection with a tax shelter transaction.
- Transaction Facilitators: In some cases, those who directly facilitate or participate in the arrangement of the tax shelter (beyond just giving advice) also have an obligation.
- Advisory Service Providers: Any professional whose advice or services are tied to the design, acquisition, or promotion of a tax shelter transaction that the IRS has identified as reportable.
What are the penalties for a material advisor who fails to file Form 8918?
Under Section 6707, the penalty is $50,000 for a reportable transaction that isn't a listed transaction. For a listed transaction, the penalty is the greater of $200,000, or 50% of the gross income you received for advising on the transaction, rising to 75% if the failure was intentional.
Do material advisors have to keep a list of everyone they advised on a reportable transaction?
Yes. Under Section 6112, a material advisor must maintain a list identifying each person or entity advised on a reportable transaction, kept for 7 years. If the IRS requests the list in writing and you don't provide it within 20 business days, the penalty is $10,000 for each additional day of delay.
What happens after I fax Form 8918 to the IRS?
The IRS mails you a Letter 4373 containing a reportable transaction number. You're then required to pass that number on to every taxpayer and other material advisor you acted for on that transaction, either when they enter into it or within 60 calendar days of receiving the number, whichever is later.
When is Form 8918 due?
By the last day of the month following the calendar quarter in which you became a material advisor for the reportable transaction, or in which circumstances arise requiring an amended disclosure.
Can multiple material advisors on the same transaction file one Form 8918 together?
They can designate a single material advisor, by written agreement, to file on behalf of all of them. That designation doesn't remove the other advisors' own obligation to disclose, though, if the designated advisor fails to file on time, every material advisor party to the agreement is still on the hook.
Advising on a reportable transaction brings its own disclosure paperwork. Here's what else comes up around material advisor filings and IRS compliance faxes.
Start faxing now.
Create an account to save time and money by sending free faxes from a computer or mobile to anywhere in the world.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for general information purposes only, and Alohi cannot guarantee that all the information on this site is current or accurate. This is not intended to be legal, accounting or tax advice and should not be a substitute for professional legal, accounting or tax advice. For legal advice, consult a licensed attorney regarding your specific legal questions.
Partner with us!
Confédération Suisse
Confederazione Svizzera
Confederaziun Svizra
Swiss Confederation
Innosuisse - Swiss Innovation Agency
