OSCPA staff report

The Ohio Business Gateway’s new platform went live on Monday, July 2. Those who did not pre-register need to do so soon to avoid filing delays.

OSCPA received reports that those who did not pre-register for the new platform were unable to obtain client information or complete needed filings. OBG has indicated that, as of last week, 57% of the state’s 12,500+ account users still need to register.

If you file on behalf of multiple taxpayers, it is important that you complete the registration process for OBG's new platform. The best way to do so is to contact OBG's help desk. OBG's Help Desk hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET and it can be reached at (866) OHIO-GOV (644-6468). Alternatively, because the OBG Help Desk still might be experiencing long wait times, you can contact the Ohio Department of Taxation directly for assistance at (888) 405-4039.

Be forewarned this will be a time-consuming process if you file on behalf of more than one client. To speed the process, you will need to have at least four of the following five pieces of information ready for each business account to which you require access:

• Full FEIN or last four digits of the SSN associated with the business
• Email address associated with any user associated with the business’ Gateway account
• Payment amount or date filed for a recent transaction completed on behalf of the business
• Username associated with the business’ Gateway account before July 2
• 16-digit email identifier code (for example, 1A22222B3C444444) located at the bottom of emails sent to you last week from the Ohio Business Gateway

Do not wait until a filing deadline to complete the transition to the new platform. On the plus side, users have reported that once the process is complete, the filing experience is significantly better than that of the previous platform.

The Ohio Society of CPAs will continue to pass along information from OBG as we receive it. In addition, OSCPA is sharing member concerns with the OBG and the Ohio Department of Taxation.

Should you have any questions or concerns, contact OSCPA Tax Policy Director Greg Saul, Esq, CAE, at 614.764.2727, ext. 2224.