The IRS and its Security Summit partners have launched a summer series built to help tax professionals shield their clients from identity theft. The IRS Security Summit effort focuses on the people who handle sensitive taxpayer data every day, giving practitioners practical guidance on spotting threats and locking down their systems.
According to the IRS, the campaign is aimed squarely at tax pros because their offices hold exactly the kind of information criminals want: Social Security numbers, bank details, and full tax histories for many clients at once. A single breach at a preparer’s office can expose hundreds of returns.
The IRS announced the initiative alongside the Security Summit, the coalition of the IRS, state tax agencies, and the private-sector tax industry that works together to fight tax-related identity theft.
What is the IRS Security Summit summer series?
The series is a recurring set of guidance released over the summer, directed at tax professionals. Its central goal is to strengthen the defenses that preparers use to guard client data. The IRS frames this as a shared responsibility: because criminals continually change tactics, tax pros need to keep updating their own security habits.
Calculate Your 2026 COLA Increase →The IRS has not, in this announcement, published the full schedule of individual topics or session dates. The agency directs practitioners to its newsroom page for the complete details as they are released.
Who should pay attention to this?
The guidance is written for tax professionals rather than individual taxpayers, though clients benefit directly when their preparer follows it. That audience includes:
- Tax preparers and firms: Anyone who files returns on behalf of clients and stores their personal data.
- Enrolled agents and CPAs: Practitioners handling sensitive financial records for multiple households or businesses.
- Office staff: Employees who access client files, email, or payment systems and could be targeted by phishing.
For example, a small two-person tax office that files a few hundred returns each season holds enough data to make it a worthwhile target, so the same precautions the IRS urges on large firms apply there too.
Why is the IRS focusing on tax professionals?
Tax pros sit at a natural pressure point. Their systems concentrate valuable data, and a compromised preparer account lets criminals file fraudulent returns that look legitimate. The Security Summit was created precisely to close these gaps through cooperation between government and industry.
Because the tactics used by identity thieves keep shifting, the IRS treats security education as an annual habit rather than a one-time fix. The summer timing gives practitioners a window to review their protections before the next filing season ramps up.
How can tax pros use this guidance?
The IRS points practitioners to its official newsroom for the full series and the specific recommendations released under it. The safest step is to go straight to the source rather than relying on secondhand summaries.
- Read the official announcement: The IRS posted the details at irs.gov/newsroom.
- Check back as new items publish: Because it is a series, additional guidance is expected to appear over the summer.
- Apply it firm-wide: Share the recommendations with every staff member who touches client data, not just the lead preparer.
The IRS has long advised tax professionals to maintain a written data security plan, but the specific checklist tied to this particular series is set out on the agency’s page rather than in this announcement.
What does this mean for clients?
Clients do not need to take direct action here, but they are the ultimate beneficiaries. When a preparer follows the Security Summit guidance, the risk of a client’s identity being stolen and used to file a fraudulent refund claim drops. If you use a tax professional, it is reasonable to ask whether they follow IRS security recommendations and keep a data protection plan in place.
Identity theft can delay legitimate refunds for months while the IRS untangles fraudulent filings, so prevention at the preparer level saves clients real time and stress.
Where to verify the details
All of the information here comes from the IRS and its Security Summit partners. For the authoritative version, including any dates, topics, and specific security steps released as the series continues, tax professionals should consult the IRS newsroom announcement directly at irs.gov. Because the IRS updates that page as new material publishes, it remains the most reliable place to track the full IRS Security Summit summer series.
