www.qns.com I LIC COURIER I FEBRUARY 2018 49
TAX TIPS
NYS Tax Department
extends “No ID”
Option for Drivers
License Requirement
BY JOHN SAVIGNANO, CPA
Just in time for the launch of the 2017 tax
ling season, the New York State Department
of Taxation and Finance conrmed, on
December 8, that it will continue to allow tax
practitioners e-ling returns with the depart-ment
to click a “No Applicable ID” box, if a
client refuses to provide them with driver’s
license information when they are preparing
the client’s New York state income tax return.
e NYSDTF announced in January 2017
that, in the interests of deterring identity
the, the department would require tax prac-titioners
to collect and report their clients’
driver’s license information when e-ling
income tax returns for 2016 tax year. Practi-tioners
complained that the tax department
informed practitioners aer tax season had
already begun.
In the event that a taxpayer does not have a
driver’s license or state-issued ID, the tax pre-parer
will be prompted by the soware to
indicate this. If the taxpayer does not have a
driver’s license or state ID or is deceased,
marking the check box indicating that he or
she has neither will fulll the requirement.
If the taxpayer refuses to provide the driver’s
license or state identication information, the
tax practitioner should mark the check box
indicating that he or she has neither, and keep
contemporaneous notes regarding the good
faith eort to collect the client information, if
the NYSDTF were to ask.
John Savignano is a partner with Savignano
Accountants & Advisors located at 47-46 Vernon
Blvd., Second Floor, in Long Island City. If you have
any questions or require additional information, please
call John at 718-707-0955.
