Can anyone tell me what a PTIN? No it won’t get you girls or help you build big arms or a flat stomach. It is a Paid Tax Identification Number and anyone who prepares taxes for a fee has to get one before they prepare taxes for the 2010 tax season. The IRS is hoping to keep better tabs on preparers and force them to increase their tax knowledge with required classes and testing (all still in the future). Starting in January 2011 anyone who doesn’t have a number can’t prepare a return for a fee. See this article for a little more detail:
http://www.suite101.com/content/irs-ptin-registration–who-needs-a-paid-preparer-tax-id-number-a301779
So check you tax return. In the paid preparer area under Tax Preparer ID Number there isn’t a number that starts with a P, your preparer either forgot to put his number down or he didn’t get a number. If it is not there you need to ask him why. If the IRS sees that they might decide they need to look at your return a bit closer, and nobody wants that. (Of course I have a PTIN so if I prepare your return you know as a CPA I have already filled all the requirements.)