WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Internal Revenue Service will shut down its decades-old FIRE electronic filing system in November, requiring businesses and other information-return filers to move to the agency’s newer IRIS platform before submitting tax year 2026 returns during the 2027 filing season.
The transition affects filers that currently use the Filing Information Returns Electronically system, or FIRE. After the November maintenance window, the IRS will no longer accept information returns through the platform.
The final deadline for filing information returns through FIRE is Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. Eastern time, according to the agency. The FIRE Trading Partner Test System will stop accepting test information returns Nov. 1.
Filers also face a Nov. 9 deadline for making changes to Information Returns applications for Transmitter Control Codes.
The IRS is directing current FIRE users to the Information Returns Intake System, or IRIS, which launched in 2023 as part of a phased replacement of the older platform. Beginning in 2027, IRIS will support all forms previously handled through FIRE.
The change requires existing FIRE users to obtain the credentials needed for IRIS rather than assuming their current filing setup will carry over. The IRS is advising filers to complete an IRIS Application for a Transmitter Control Code as part of their preparations.
IRIS provides two filing channels depending on the volume and method used to submit returns.
The IRIS Taxpayer Portal is a free web-based service that allows users to electronically file as many as 100 returns at a time. Filers can enter information manually or upload records through CSV files, download copies for payees and retain records of completed filings.
Businesses and other filers using third-party software or internally developed systems can instead use IRIS Application to Application, which is designed for higher-volume electronic submissions.
The IRS is urging organizations to make the transition before the 2027 filing season rather than waiting until FIRE becomes unavailable. Filers should review the agency’s IRIS electronic-filing guidance and complete the necessary TCC application, the agency stated.
The IRS is also providing technical and operational updates through its IRIS QuickAlerts service and monthly IRIS Working Group meetings. Those meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month and require separate registration for each session.
Additional transition information will be released through those channels and IRS.gov as the FIRE shutdown approaches.
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