Clean Hands FAQs

Yes. The Certificate represents the tax compliance of you or your business at a point-in-time. Account balances change and filing obligations come due throughout the year, which may change your status. When you present your Certificate of Clean Hands to a DC Government agency, they reverify that the certificate is still valid. You can check that your Certificate is still valid by going to MyTax.dc.gov and selecting “Validate a Certificate of Clean Hands” in the Clean Hands box.

Follow our step-by-step guide to create your MyTax account.

You will need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if you do not have an SSN. The IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a US taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, an SSN. If you are in need of an ITIN, please visit the IRS website. If you are not eligible for an ITIN, you will need to use a registered agent, an individual or business that services as your point of contact and can accept registered/certified mail for you.

If you have questions regarding your noncompliant status, please contact the Collection and Enforcement Administration by telephone at (202) 724-5045 or by email at [email protected].

If you owe a debt, you can pay it immediately via money order, cashier’s check, or credit card (Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express). Once the payment has cleared (up to 7 days for credit cards, two to six weeks for money orders and cashier’s checks), a Certificate of Clean Hands can be issued. If you have a missing account registration, you can fix that online. It will typically process in three to five business days. Missing returns, once filed, can take eight weeks to be reviewed and accepted.

If you registered for a tax type in error, you must email [email protected] with a written statement explaining the error. The letter must be signed by an officer of the business or a Power of Attorney listed on the account.

If your business was not in operation, you are still required to file a return even if it shows $0 in revenue. If your business has closed permanently, then please file a final return for the last period of activity and mark the return as final.

Check your exemption to make sure it hasn’t expired. If it is still active, email  [email protected] or call the Collection Call Center at (202) 724-5045. If your exemption has expired, you can renew it by following these steps.

It depends on your filing status (joint or single) over the past five years. If your spouse has debt from before you filed jointly, that will not be held against you. If you and your spouse file individually, then your spouse’s debt will not be held against you. If you and your (ex)spouse filed jointly in the past five years and a debt is associated with one or more of those filings, that debt will prevent you from getting a Certificate of Clean Hands until addressed.

If you are unable to pay, you must still file the return on time. We encourage you to pay as much as you can by the return due date to minimize the penalties and interest. You can also request a payment plan if eligible.

Yes, but you must be current with your payments and you will need to contact OTR directly to process your request at [email protected] or (202) 724-5045. It cannot be completed online.

The table below lists the major tax filing requirements in DC, however this is not an exhaustive list. Please refer to a tax professional to ensure that you are registered for all applicable accounts.