Form 2848 vs 8821
Forms 2848 and 8821 are similar tax forms that serve different purposes. Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative gives authorization to an individual to represent the person who filed it before the Internal Revenue Service. The authorized person must be an eligible person to practice before the IRS. Take note that this will allow the authorized individual to receive and inspect the private tax information.
On the other hand, Form 8821 is the tax form that enables individuals along with corporations, organizations, partnerships, and firms to receive private tax information in all forms.
Difference between 2848 and 8821
The difference between Forms 2848 and 8821 is pretty obvious as 2848 authorizes an individual to represent you before the IRS while 8821 doesn’t. As mentioned above, both forms serve a different purpose. Form 8821 can be used to appoint someone to obtain tax information that otherwise wouldn’t be available to that person whereas 2848 enables the appointed individual to represent that the filer before the IRS.
This is one of the reasons why 2848 authorizes an individual to represent before the IRS while 8821 also allows businesses to view confidential tax information.
While either one of these forms is enough for most representatives, Form 2848 may not be needed if the power of attorney can be permitted with documentation other than this IRS tax form.
