Renewal e-mail from IRS

If you receive an e-mail from the IRS saying your renewal is late and asking for documentation of your CE credits, the IRS probably lost one of your prior renewal applications. I filed my renewal timely on 5/6/21 and received the e-mail on 5/17/21. It said my renewal was late (but didn't say which one) and requested documentation for my 2018-2020 CE credits showing the IRS program numbers. The expanded listing from your PTIN account works, but not all of my credits are listed there.  A co-worker received a similar e-mail the same day from a different person at the IRS saying her 2018 renewal was late.  She sent a copy of the receipt of her 2018 renewal and that took care of the problem.  The IRS person told her half of the ERPA renewals didn't go through.  I sent a copy of my 2018 receipt and received a response that their records indicated I didn't renew in 2015 (I did), but they have my CE credits now and I'm good through 9/30/2024.

So, if you get one of these e-mails, find your receipt from the prior renewal and send that first.  You may not have to send documentation of your CE credits.  In my case that would have been interesting because ASPPA and NTSA didn't report my CE credits to my PTIN account and they don't send certificates with the IRS program number.  I contacted ASPPA and they are working on getting documentation for me.

I've said it before - passing the tests is much easier than dealing with the renewal foolishness. It never seems to be a smooth process.

Same story here - they got my current ERPA renewal and asked for proof of the prior cycle, so I emailed prior cycle form and gov.pay receipt and was then told I'm renewed for the next cycle and my renewal should come in the mail within the next 14 business days.  We are now 25 business days and nothing received, so just sent an email. We'll see.

I had a similar issue last year.  The folks at OPR were very accommodating.  

Same here. Last year I submitted, never heard anything. Contacted them 3 months later. VERY nice people, said it was being mailed within the week. Wrong. 2 more months went by, nothing. I called again, VERY nice person, apologized and said she would make sure it got mailed immediately. That afternoon, the certificate that had supposedly been mailed nearly 2 months ago arrived in my mailbox! So I ended up with two renewal certificates. To bad I can't just change the date on one and be renewed for 6 years...

To be fair, it is possible that Covid issues may have contributed to the problems.

4 hours ago, Belgarath said:

To be fair, it is possible that Covid issues may have contributed to the problems.

No doubt, and these departments always seem to be understaffed - so my derision is cast not at the people, but at the institution, LOL!

But where a well-staffed IRS might mean quicker turnaround on VCP and d-letter submissions, it could also mean an uptick in audit activity, so I'm OK with them running on a skeleton crew!

Update:  ASPPA has contacted the IRS about this and they are looking into it.

This was my fourth renewal and the first time I've received anything from the IRS about a renewal.

I renewed in 2018 and never received anything.  I had the pay.gov receipt, followed up with them, they said it got lost cause it was in “the old system”.  I think I had to follow up again, and eventually it showed up something in 2019.    Just sent my 2021 renewal in a few weeks ago, haven’t received anything so far.  

Update, today in the mail I received the big flat envelope with my new enrollment card at the bottom, as it has come in prior years.  I also received the same thing in a standard envelope printed on regular paper, mailed separately.   They show the "Issue Date" as 10/1/21.  Go figure.  

On 5/27/2021 at 3:15 PM, shERPA said:

They show the "Issue Date" as 10/1/21.  Go figure.  

Your prior enrollment is good until 9/30/2021.  Renewal takes place during the last 6 or so months of the prior cycle, and is good for 3 additional years.  Its timed this way to avoid gaps in enrollment due to an expired enrollment and OPR processing the renewal application.

The renewal period is April 1 - June 30. 

https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/maintain-your-enrolled-retirement-plan-agent-status

As noted, the renewal is effective October 1.  I haven't received a renewal card yet. But, I didn't get one for any of my other renewals.