Filing 990PF Electronically

[dupontgay]

Hello.  I am an accountant working for a family who have a Private Foundation.  We prepare all of the family's tax returns inhouse and do not use a CPA firm or other filer for our returns.  We have this year found that the IRS now requires our Private Foundation to file its Form 990 PF electronically.  We have done extensive research and it appears that we cannot obtain an EFIN, which seems to be required to file electronically, because we are not a paid provider.  The family for which we prepare the returns is highly private -- ergo, the reason all returns are prepared inhouse.  Does anyone in this community know of any way that we can obtain the requisite EFIN without being a paid preparer?  Is there a different level of service we can purchase from Lacerte that will allow the company to be the authorized EFILE provider and file the return we prepare?  Or does another Intuit product allow for the filing of a 990PF electronically?  The information I have found thus far appears to require us to go to an external provider to actually filet the return, causing the foundation to spend funds that would otherwise be earmarked for charitable purposes.  

Could anyone in the community assist me with suggestions and/or other options for filing besides going outside?  

Thank you in advance for any suggestions or experiences you have found to be successful.

[George4Tacks]

Virtually anyone can get an EFIN https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/faqs-about-electronic-filing-identification-numbers-efin 

You are an accountant working for a family... We prepare all of the .... = SOUNDS LIKE A PAID PREPARER!!!! You may or may not also need a PTIN https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/ptin-requirements-for-tax-return-preparers

Consider ProConnect Tax Online as a closely held software that the family or you (who sounds like a paid preparer) can use to to the PF.