Quick Review: What a MACC Means for Your Organization
- Tax Guardian is now live in Microsoft Marketplace as an Azure benefit-eligible offer.
- Offers with the Azure benefit-eligible badge in Microsoft Marketplace count toward that agreement dollar for dollar.
- Tax Guardian’s proprietary software securely accesses IRS transcripts on your behalf.
A New Channel for Evaluating Tax Identity Protection
Tax Guardian is now live in Microsoft Marketplace as an Azure benefit-eligible offer. If your organization has a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC), you can purchase Tax Guardian through the Marketplace and apply 100% of the purchase price to that commitment.
“Most people find out about tax identity theft only after the damage is done, when a return gets rejected, or a refund never shows up,” said Travis Watkins, CEO of Tax Guardian. “Our goal is to put that warning in front of people sooner, and Microsoft Marketplace lets more organizations bring that protection to the people they serve.”
Buy Tax Guardian with your Azure commitment
A MACC is an agreement to spend a set amount on Azure with Microsoft. Offers with the Azure benefit-eligible badge in Microsoft Marketplace count toward that agreement dollar for dollar. Tax Guardian now carries that badge.
Here’s what that means in practice:
- No new budget line. Your Tax Guardian purchase is funded from Azure spend your organization has already planned.
- A familiar way to buy. Your team buys through the Microsoft Marketplace instead of setting up a new vendor relationship from scratch.
- Room to customize. Need specific pricing or terms? Request a private offer from us directly through the listing.
“Organizations shouldn’t have to choose between protecting their people and staying on budget,” said Watkins. “With Azure benefit eligibility, companies that have a MACC can fund Tax Guardian from spend they’ve already planned, which makes it far easier to say yes.”
Tip: Check with the person who manages your Microsoft agreement before you buy, so the purchase is applied to your commitment.
Why IRS monitoring is its own layer of protection
A stolen Social Security number can be used in ways that never touch a loan or a credit card. A thief might file a return in your name before you do, report wages from a job in a state you’ve never lived in, claim your child as a dependent, or even file under a business EIN.
Credit reports show borrowing. IRS records show filings, refunds, and reported income. Those are separate data sources, and watching one tells you nothing about the other. Our guide on why tax identity protection matters walks through the most common schemes.
What IRS delays mean for your people
The IRS’s own goal is to resolve identity theft cases within 120 days. According to a September 2026 Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration audit, cases closed in fiscal year 2025 averaged 582 days. Nearly 316,000 cases were still open at the end of September 2025.
Put simply, a victim’s refund can sit on hold for more than a year and a half. During that time, they’re answering IRS letters, gathering records, and often calling HR with questions. Tax identity protection gives employee financial wellness programs a way to address that before it starts. For a closer look at the numbers and ways to speed up a case, read IRS identity theft cases now average 20 months.
What Tax Guardian monitors
Tax Guardian’s proprietary software securely accesses IRS transcripts on your behalf. Depending on your plan, you get:
- Continuous IRS transcript monitoring and identity mismatch alerts
- Text and email alerts when tax identity theft is suspected
- Detection of fraudulent returns and stolen refunds
- W-2 and 1099 income mismatch alerts, plus wage fraud and Social Security number misuse monitoring
- Where’s My Refund?™ tracking
- Help from Tax Guardian Restore Specialists with recovery and IRS resolution
- Refund Replacement Protection, Audit Defense and remediation expense coverage on eligible plans, subject to plan terms
We maintain a SOC 2 Type II report. See our security and compliance page for details.
Plans for every kind of buyer
| Solution | Built for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| PROTECT+ Workforce | Employers of any size, with employer-paid, employee-paid, or shared-cost options | Custom |
| TG Connect | Enterprises and platforms that want API-driven IRS monitoring and white-label experiences | Custom |
| PROTECT+ Individual | One person | $14.95/month |
| PROTECT+ Family | Up to 10 household members | $29.95/month |
Banks, payroll providers, tax platforms and others can offer Tax Guardian to their own customers through our partner programs: Referral, Reseller, Technology and Strategic Alliance. Full plan details are on our pricing page.
A pre-filing-season checklist for HR teams
- Share IP PIN information during open enrollment. An Identity Protection PIN is a six-digit code that helps keep anyone else from filing a federal return with an employee’s Social Security number. Employees can request one through their IRS Online Account.
- Add a tax identity theft explainer to your benefits materials. Our HR resources can help you explain the risk in plain language.
- Prepare employees for scam season. Thieves use fake IRS messages to collect personal details. Share our guides on spotting a fake IRS text or email and what to do if someone accesses an IRS Online Account.
- Review coverage options. Our employer FAQs answer common questions about enrollment, funding and program setup.
Get started
Find Tax Guardian in Microsoft Marketplace and request a private offer for custom pricing or terms. Want to talk it through first? Contact our team to review plans, security documentation and commercial terms.
FAQ
Is Tax Guardian MACC eligible?
Yes. Tax Guardian is Azure benefit-eligible in Microsoft Marketplace, so organizations with a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment can apply 100% of the purchase price toward their commitment.
Can I get custom pricing through Microsoft Marketplace?
Yes. Organizations can request a private offer from Tax Guardian through the Microsoft Marketplace listing for tailored pricing or terms.
How much does Tax Guardian cost?
PROTECT+ Individual is $14.95 per month & PROTECT+ Family is $29.95 per month for up to 10 household members. PROTECT+ Workforce and TG Connect use custom pricing based on program size and structure.
What is tax identity theft?
Tax identity theft is when someone uses your Social Security number to file a fraudulent return, claim a refund, or report wages or income that aren’t yours. It happens in IRS records, so it usually doesn’t appear on a credit report.
Does credit monitoring detect tax identity theft?
Usually not. Credit monitoring tracks credit bureau activity, while tax identity theft happens in IRS records. IRS monitoring is designed to catch what credit monitoring misses.
How long does it take the IRS to resolve identity theft cases?
A September 2026 TIGTA audit found that cases closed in fiscal year 2025 averaged 582 days, about 19 months, compared with the IRS goal of 120 days.
Can employers offer Tax Guardian as an employee benefit?
Yes. PROTECT+ Workforce is employer-sponsored tax identity protection for organizations of any size, with employer-paid, employee-paid or shared-cost funding.
Sources
- Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, The Process to Resolve Identity Theft Cases Is Long, Costly, and Frustrating for Taxpayers, September 2026
- Journal of Accountancy, Identity theft victims waited 20 months for IRS case resolution, September 25, 2026
- IRS, Get an Identity Protection PIN
- Tax Guardian in Microsoft Marketplace
Availability in Microsoft Marketplace does not constitute an endorsement or certification by Microsoft. Tax Guardian does not guarantee prevention or detection of every tax identity theft event. Features, coverage, and financial protections vary by plan and are subject to plan terms.
