The Internal Revenue Service has authorized the use preauthorized direct debit in its private debt collection program. Taxpayers can opt to use the method to make one payment or series of payments.
To use direct debit, a taxpayers gives written permission via mail or fax to private collection agency to make payments to the Department of the Treasury on the taxpayer’s behalf. Scheduled multiple payments can beamed via a phone call to the assigned PCA.
The authorization contains the payment schedule and bank account information. After receiving, authorization, the PCA will send a confirmation letter containing the details of the direct debit payment and create a check made out to the Treasury to emailed to the IRS within 24 hours.
Payments by check should be payable to the U.S. Treasury and sent directly to the IRS, not the PCA.
Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards. Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind