SECTION 6. ELECTRONIC

SIGNATURES

.01 If a taxpayer furnishes consent to disclose or consent to use tax return information electronically, the taxpayer must furnish the tax return preparer with an electronic signature that will verify that the taxpayer consented to the disclosure or use. The regulations under § 301.7216–3(a) require that the consent be knowing and voluntary. Therefore, for an electronic consent to be valid, it must be furnished in a manner that ensures affirmative, knowing consent of the taxpayer to each disclosure or use.

.02 A tax return preparer seeking to obtain a taxpayer’s consent to the disclosure or consent to the use of tax return information electronically must obtain the taxpayer’s signature on the consent in one of the following manners:

(a) Assign a personal identification number (PIN) that is at least 5 characters long to the taxpayer. To consent to the disclosure or consent to the use of the taxpayer’s tax return information, the taxpayer may type in the pre-assigned PIN as the taxpayer’s signature authorizing the disclosure or use. A PIN may not be automatically furnished by the software so that the taxpayer only has to click a button for consent to be furnished. The taxpayer must affirmatively enter the PIN for the electronic signature to be valid;

(b) Have the taxpayer type in the taxpayer’s name and then hit “enter” to authorize the consent. The software must not automatically furnish the taxpayer’s name so that the taxpayer only has to click a but

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payer’s consent to P’s disclosure and use of the taxpayer’s tax return information for purposes other than tax preparation ( e.g., for use in displaying targeted banner advertisement). Thus, the consent is not voluntary, as required by § 301.7216–3(a). P has also failed to identify the tax return information that it will disclose or use, as required by § 301.7216–3(a)(3)(C); to identify the purposes of the disclosures or uses, as required by section § 301.7216–3(a)(3)(B); and, to the extent that P intends to disclose the entire return based on the consent, P’s consent form has not provided that the taxpayer has the ability to request a more limited disclosure of tax return information as the taxpayer may direct as required by section 5.06. The single document attempts to have the taxpayer consent to both disclosures and uses, in violation of section 5.05. P has not used the mandatory statements required by section 5.04(1). The consent is not signed by the taxpayer because P has not provided a means for the taxpayer to electronically sign the consent in a form authorized by section 6. Finally, the consent is not dated as required by section 5.03(2).

(2) Example 2 . Preparer Q offers tax preparation services over the Internet and wishes to use targeted banner advertisements during tax return preparation. Q contracts with Bank A regarding the advertisement of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Preparer Q displays advertisements to the taxpayer only if the taxpayer’s tax return information indicates that the services are relevant to the taxpayer ( e.g., targeted banner advertisements). A taxpayer using Q’s software must enter a password to begin the process of preparing a return.

(a) Before the taxpayer starts providing tax return information, the following screen appears on Q’s tax preparation program.

CONSENT TO USE OF TAX RETURN

INFORMATION

Federal law requires this consent form be provided to you. Unless authorized by law, we cannot use your tax return information for purposes other than the preparation and filing of your tax return without your consent.

You are not required to complete this form to engage our tax return preparation services. If we obtain your signature on this form by conditioning our tax return preparation services on your consent, your consent will not be valid. Your consent is valid for the amount of time that you specify. If you do not specify the duration of your consent, your consent is valid for one year from the date of signature.

For your convenience, Q has entered into arrangements with certain banks regarding the provision of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). To determine whether this service may be of interest to you, Q will need to use your tax return information.

If you would like Q to use your tax return information to determine whether this service is relevant to you while we are preparing your return, please check the corresponding box, provide the information requested below, and sign and date this consent to the use of your tax return information.

I, [INSERT NAME] authorize Q to use the information I provide to Q during the preparation of my tax return for 2006 to determine whether to offer me an opportunity to invest in an IRA.

Signature: [INSERT SIGNATURE AS PRESCRIBED UNDER SECTION 6]

Date: [INSERT DATE]

If you believe your tax return information has been disclosed or used improperly in a manner unauthorized by law or without your permission, you may contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) by telephone at 1–800–366–4484, or by email at complaints@tigta.treas.gov . (b) If the taxpayer selects the consent above, the taxpayer is directed to print the screen. Later, after the taxpayer has entered data to prepare his or her 2006 tax return, the following screen is displayed:

CONSENT TO DISCLOSURE OF TAX

RETURN INFORMATION

Federal law requires this consent form be provided to you. Unless authorized by law, we cannot disclose your tax return information to third parties for purposes other than the preparation and filing of your tax return without your consent. If you consent to the disclosure of your tax return information, Federal law may not protect your tax return information from further use or distribution.

You are not required to complete this form to engage our tax return preparation services. If we obtain your signature on this form by conditioning our tax return preparation services on your consent, your consent will not be valid. If you agree to the disclosure of your tax return information, your consent is valid for the amount of time that you specify. If you do not specify the duration of your consent, your consent is valid for one year from the date of signature.

You have indicated that you are interested in obtaining information on IRAs. To provide you with this information, Q must disclose your tax return information, as indicated below, to the bank that provides this service.

If you would like Q to disclose your tax return information to the bank providing this service, please check the corresponding box for the service in which you are interested, provide the information requested below, and sign and date your consent to the disclosure of your tax return information.

I, [INSERT NAME], authorize Q to disclose to Bank A that portion of my tax return information for 2006 that is necessary for Bank A to contact me and provide information on obtaining an IRA or altering my contribution to an IRA for 2006.

Signature: [INSERT SIGNATURE AS PRESCRIBED UNDER SECTION 6]

Date: [INSERT DATE]

If you believe your tax return information has been disclosed or used improperly in a manner unauthorized by law or without your permission, you may contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) by telephone at 1–800–366–4484, or by email at complaints@tigta.treas.gov .

If the taxpayer consents to the disclosure of the tax return information using the screen above, the taxpayer is directed to print the screen. Q will then transmit only that portion of the taxpayer’s tax return information for 2006 that is necessary for the bank authorized in the consent, Bank A, to provide the service.

(c) These two consent forms, above, satisfy the requirements of § 301.7216–3(c) and this revenue procedure for the disclosure or use of the information provided by the taxpayer for the specific purposes stated in the consent forms.

(3) Example 3 . Large corporation C employs 200 expatriated employees who work in Belgium. Preparer R, located in the United States, prepares individual income tax returns for C’s expatriated workers pursuant to a corporate plan for executive tax return preparation. Preparer R is affiliated with Preparer F, located in Belgium. Pursuant to the corporate plan for executive tax return preparation, Preparer R plans to provide the expatriated employees’ tax return information, including the expatriated employees’ SSNs, located on Preparer R’s US based data servers to Preparer F who then plans to meet with the expatriated employees to prepare those employees’ 2008 individual income tax returns. Preparer R obtains information electronically from various sources in anticipation of providing the information to Preparer F. Preparer R developed, adopted, and incorporated into its operations a data privacy program that meets the requirements of the AICPA/CICA Privacy Framework. Preparer F also developed, adopted, and incorporated into its operations a data privacy program, which is subject to the European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection. The data privacy programs adopted by Preparer R and Preparer F are in operation at the time all consents to disclose are obtained by Preparer R and disclosures are made by Preparer R to Preparer F.

(a) Before transmitting or sending any expatriated employee’s SSN to Preparer F, Preparer R provides the expatriated employee (taxpayer) with the following document.

CONSENT TO DISCLOSURE OF TAX

RETURN INFORMATION

Federal law requires this consent form be provided to you. Unless authorized by law, we cannot disclose your tax return information to third parties for purposes other than the preparation and filing of your tax return and, in certain limited circumstances, for purposes involving tax return preparation without your consent. If you consent to the disclosure of your tax return information, Federal law may not protect your tax return information from further use or distribution.

You are not required to complete this form. Because our ability to disclose your tax return information to another tax return preparer affects the tax return preparation service(s) that we provide to you and its (their) cost, we may decline to provide you with tax return preparation services or change the terms (including the cost) of the tax return preparation services that we provide to you if you do not sign this form. If you agree to the disclosure of your tax return information, your consent is valid for the amount of time that you specify. If you do not specify the duration of your consent, your consent is valid for one year from the date of signature.

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This consent to disclose may result in your tax return information being disclosed to a tax return preparer located outside the United States, includ- ing your personally identifiable information such as your Social Security Number (“SSN”) . Both the tax return preparer in the United States that will disclose your SSN and the tax return preparer located outside the United States that will receive your SSN maintain an adequate data protection safeguard (as required by the regulations under 26 U.S.C. Section 7216) to protect privacy and prevent unauthorized access of tax return information. If you consent to the disclosure of your tax return information, Federal agencies may not be able to enforce US laws that protect the privacy of your tax return information against a tax return preparer located outside of the US to which the information is disclosed.

If you agree to allow Preparer R to disclose your tax return information, including your SSN, to Preparer F for purposes of providing assistance in the preparation of your 2008 individual income tax return, please check the box below, provide the information requested below, and sign and date your consent to the disclosure of your tax return information.

I, [INSERT NAME], authorize Preparer R to disclose to Preparer F my tax return information, including my SSN, to allow Preparer F to assist in the preparation of my 2008 individual income tax return.

Signature:

Date: [INSERT DATE]

If you believe your tax return information has been disclosed or used improperly in a manner unauthorized by law or without your permission, you may contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) by telephone at 1–800–366–4484, or by email at complaints@tigta.treas.gov . The taxpayer provides consent by checking the box and signing and dating the consent form. Preparer R then provides a copy of the signed and dated consent form to the taxpayer, and then transmits the taxpayer’s tax return information to Preparer F for processing of taxpayer’s 2008 individual income tax return.

(b) The consent above satisfies the requirements of section 301.7216–3 and this revenue procedure for the disclosure of the information provided by the taxpayer for the specific purpose stated in the consent form.