Publication 6160 — IRS Tax Pro Account: The Shift To Paperless

Official source: IRS Forms, Instructions & Publications (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p6160.pdf), retrieved 2026-10-03. U.S. Government work (17 U.S.C. § 105).

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You only need to link your CAF number once. After your CAF number is linked, you can’t unlink it. If you have more than one CAF number, you may link them all.

An individual CAF number must be linked by the person who was assigned the CAF number.

A business CAF number must be linked by an authorized person (either a Designated Official or Sole Proprietor) who can associate the CAF number with the EIN.

Link your CAF number from Tax Pro Account home page or account profile by selecting Link a CAF number .

Linking your CAF is a two-step process:

1. Request a PIN. It will be mailed to the address on the CAF database.

2. Once received (1-2 weeks), log back into Tax Pro account to finish the process.

Check your profile to see if your CAF number is already linked before trying to link it.

irs.gov/taxproaccount

In Tax Pro Account you can link an individual or business Centralized Authorization File (CAF) number. Linking your CAF number to your taxpayer identification number (TIN) in Tax Pro Account is the key step that transforms your account into a powerful, time-saving digital workspace.

Once linked, you can see all your clients for whom you have an authorization and their tax information.

Linking your CAF number allows you to:

• View individual and business taxpayer information

• View all your active authorizations recorded on the CAF

• Withdraw in real time from any active authorization

When you link your CAF number in Tax Pro Account, you associate it with your TIN in the CAF database. For example:

• When you link an individual CAF number, you associate it with your Social Security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN)

• When you link a business CAF number, you associate it with your employer identification number (EIN)

You can’t link an individual CAF number with an EIN. And you can’t link a business CAF number with an SSN or an ITIN.

If you choose not to link your CAF number, you can still request Power of Attorney and Tax Information Authorization with Tax Pro Account.

Publication 6160 (5-2026) Catalog Number 96335S Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov