DictionaryIdentity and taxes

Certifying Acceptance Agent: what it means

A Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) is a person or entity authorized by the IRS to help you apply for or renew an ITIN. A CAA helps you complete Form W-7, authenticates most of your identity documents and hands them back on the spot, instead of you mailing the originals, and then sends your application to the IRS.

In Spanish it is

Agente tramitador certificado

Also written as: CAA · IRS acceptance agent

A pregnant woman takes a video appointment on a tablet at her kitchen table.

Verified on October 17, 2026

3 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

CAAs charge for their services, and fees vary. The IRS also offers free in-person options: its Taxpayer Assistance Centers with ITIN services and some VITA sites. The IRS publishes the list of approved agents.

An example

Beatriz needs to renew her ITIN and does not want to mail her passport. She compares options: an IRS center with ITIN services is free, but the appointment may take weeks; a Certifying Acceptance Agent charges a fee and hands her passport back at the same appointment.

You will see it in…

The IRS list of approved acceptance agents
Form W-7 (COA), the certificate of accuracy the agent attaches to your application
The IRS options for applying for an ITIN in person

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

More guides that use “Certifying Acceptance Agent”

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. IRS · ITIN acceptance agents (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. IRS · How to apply for an ITIN (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
3. IRS · ITIN Acceptance Agent Program (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026