IRS Tax Transcript Apostille

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Issuing agency

Internal Revenue Service

We can obtain it?

No — you request it free from the IRS

Certification first?

No prior certification needed

Also known as

tax return transcript, account transcript, record of account

An IRS tax transcript is an official summary of your filed return, straight from the IRS. Foreign lenders, immigration authorities and consulates use it to verify income for mortgages, long-stay visas, and residency applications — and for overseas use it usually has to be apostilled.

There are several kinds of transcript, and sending the wrong one is the most common reason these come back. That's covered below.

What an IRS tax transcript is

A transcript is the IRS's own record of your tax account — not a copy of the return you filed, and not something your accountant or tax software produces. Because it comes directly from the IRS, foreign institutions treat it as verified income evidence in a way they won't treat a self-prepared return.

If what you actually need is proof of U.S. tax residency for treaty benefits rather than proof of income, that's a different document: IRS Form 6166, obtained via Form 8802.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign lender or immigration authority cannot verify an IRS record on its own. The apostille, issued by the U.S. Department of State, certifies the transcript as genuine across the 120-plus Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague destinations require that authentication followed by embassy or consulate legalization.

Getting the transcript from the IRS

Request transcripts directly from the IRS — online through your IRS account (often immediate), or by mail using Form 4506-T. There's no charge. Once you have the IRS-issued transcript, send it to us and we take it through apostille.

Because these are self-printed from the IRS system, the exact form matters. Send us what you've printed and we'll confirm it's acceptable before submission.

Which transcript you need

The IRS issues several types and foreign institutions ask for different ones:

• Tax return transcript — line items from your original return. The usual choice for mortgage and visa income verification.
• Tax account transcript — account activity, payments and adjustments.
• Record of account — combines both of the above.
• Wage and income transcript — data from W-2s, 1099s and similar forms.

Most foreign lenders want the tax return transcript for the last one to three years. Tell us what the institution asked for and which years, and we'll confirm before you order.

Document preparation requirements

• Print the transcript directly from the IRS — not from tax software or your accountant.
• Don't reformat, edit, annotate, or highlight the printout.
• Do not notarize it — notarizing a federal record invalidates it for authentication.
• Confirm which transcript type and which tax years the institution requires.
• Check the transcript is recent enough — lenders often want the most recent filed years.

The step-by-step process

1. Confirm what's required

   Tell us the institution, transcript type and tax years — we'll confirm before you request anything.

2. Request it from the IRS

   Online through your IRS account (often immediate) or by mail with Form 4506-T. Free.

3. Send it to us & we review

   We verify it's in a form the Department of State will authenticate.

4. We submit in Washington, D.C.

   We hand-deliver the transcript to the Office of Authentications with the federal authentication request and fee.

5. Apostille or authentication issued

   You receive an apostille (Hague) or authentication certificate (non-Hague), affixed to your transcript.

6. Embassy legalization & translation, if required

   For non-Hague destinations we handle legalization, and arrange certified translation where required.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Foreign mortgage applications — income verification for property purchase abroad.
• Long-stay and residency visas — proving income meets a minimum requirement.
• Business and investment verification — supporting an application or transaction overseas.
• Foreign bank account opening — where income source must be evidenced.
• Immigration filings — where tax history is part of the file.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

Pick your destination below, or see all countries we serve.

Official references: IRS — Get Transcript · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document. Government fees are set by these agencies and are separate from our service fee.