The Alabama Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers who electronically file 2013 Alabama Forms 40, 40-A or 40 NR that they should include their driver’s license or non-driver’s license number, as well as their date of birth, on their Alabama returns.

This is the department’s latest effort to combat the growing threat of identity theft and fraudulent tax return filings.

“Taxpayers and tax preparers alike can be assured that the reasoning behind the department’s decision to include the driver’s/non-driver’s license number and DOB information on e-filed returns is not to make the filing process more difficult, but to do everything we can to protect a taxpayer from the growing problem of identity theft,” said State Revenue Commissioner Julie P. Magee. “It is just one more level of security. Just about every business transaction that is conducted requires some form of personal identification — credit card purchases, banking transactions, etc.  Before a tax refund is issued from a taxpayer’s account, it is reasonable for a taxpayer not only to expect, but also to demand that the department takes every precaution that it can to ensure that the refund is a legitimate refund, and not a fraudulent refund issued to an identity thief.  This information can be used as a simple, quick validation and will not affect the normal processing of one’s tax return.”

For additional information on the Alabama tax filing season, refer to ADOR’s Tax Filing Tips for 2014.